Study: Solar, Wind and Other Renewables Can Meet North Carolina Electricity Needs

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is an edited copy of a press release submitted by Dr. John Blackburn on March 4, 2010.Using renewable energy lessens the demand for electricity provided by coal-fired power plants, which cause air pollution Solar and wind power can supply the vast majority of North Carolina's electricity needs, according to a report released March 4. Combined with generation from hydroelectric and other renewable sources, such as landfill gas, only 6 percent of electricity would have to be purchased from outside the system or produced at conventional plants. "Even though the wind does not blow nor the sun shine all the time, careful management, readily available storage and other renewable sources can produce nearly all the electricity North Carolinians consume," says Dr. John Blackburn, the study's author. Blackburn is Professor Emeritus of Economics and former Chancellor at Duke University. "Critics of renewable power point out that solar and wind sources are intermittent," says Blackburn. "The truth is that solar and wind are complementary in North Carolina. Wind speeds are usually higher at night than in the daytime. They also blow faster in winter than summer. “Solar generation, on the other hand, takes place in the daytime. Sunlight is only half as strong in winter as in summertime. Drawing wind power from different areas -- the coast, mountains, the sounds or the ocean -- reduces variations in generation. Using wind and solar in tandem is even more reliable. Together, they can generate three-fourths of the state's electricity. When hydroelectric and other renewable sources are added, the gap to be filled is surprisingly small. Only six percent of North Carolina's electricity would have to come from conventional power plants or from other systems." Blackburn's report, “Matching Utility Loads with Solar and Wind Power in North Carolina: Dealing with Intermittent Electricity Sources,” is available online at http://www.ieer.org/reports/NC-Wind-Solar.html.