New pilot program a win for access to residential solar energy and battery storage in North Carolina

CHAPEL HILL. N.C.– The North Carolina Utilities Commission recently approved a first of its kind pilot program that will help Duke Energy customers in North Carolina save thousands on new residential solar energy and battery storage installations. The new program stems from a settlement that revised how Duke Energy structures net metering for residential rooftop solar following changes to state law. The Southern Environmental Law Center represented the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy and Vote Solar in the settlement and PowerPair dockets.

Following the settlement, these clean energy advocates, the Solar Energy Industries Association, and the North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association worked with the utility and the Public Staff to design the program. Through the PowerPair pilot, 6,000 households across North Carolina can recoup up to $3,600 for solar energy and $5,400 for battery storage when installing the technologies together. Duke will collect and publish data from the pilot, including how the new clean energy investments save energy, reduce stress on the grid at peak times, and help meet state carbon reduction goals.

“The PowerPair pilot, one of the first of its kind, opens up access to cost-cutting, clean energy resources for people across our state,” said SELC Senior Attorney David Neal. “Importantly, it also opens the door for Duke to meet customer demand for electricity more cost-effectively. PowerPair is the first step towards more efficiently using connected devices in the home, like water heaters and electric vehicle chargers, to avoid expensive peak demands and match low-cost renewable energy with customer needs.”

North Carolinians will be eligible to apply for the rebates in May 2024.