Conservation Corner >
North Carolina energy facts
North Carolina is home to more than 4 million
electric consumers. The state ranks
twelfth in the nation in total utility retail electricity sales,
producing more than 126 million megawatt hours per year. Those consumers are located in territories served
by a variety of electric utilities both privately and publicly owned.
The largest of these utilities are called investor-owned utilities
(IOUs) and are supported by rate payers as well as private investment
from shareholders.
North Carolina three investor-owned utilities
are Duke Energy,
Progress
Energy, and Dominion
North Carolina Power. Duke Energy services customers located in the Piedmont and Western North Carolina.
Progress Energy serves customers in Eastern
and Western North Carolina. Dominion North Carolina Power services
the Northeastern counties of North Carolina. Together the IOUs account for nearly 3 million of North
Carolina’s electric consumers.
North Carolina is also served by member-owned
Electric Membership
Corporations (EMCs) that have
a total customer base of more than 920,000.
There are more than 90 municipal-owned
electric distribution systems that provide energy to about
540,000 citizens in towns and communities across the state.
While North Carolina contains an abundance of natural resources,
there are very few indigenous energy resources located in our state.
Billions of dollars annually leaves
our economy to purchase resources from other states for fossil fuel
production. The most widely used fossil fuel source in North
Carolina is coal, amounting to 58% of the state’s overall
power production. Nuclear materials are also widely used, providing
another 32% of North Carolina’s energy supply. The remaining
electricity is produced from hydroelectric, petroleum, natural gas, and
other sources including renewables.
Renewable energy is the newest of the fuel sources to be made widely
available to energy producers. Generated from environmentally cleaner
resources rather than fossil fuels, renewable
energy or “green power” is providing a new alternative
for utilities and their customers across the state. The NC GreenPower
program is working hard to ensure that energy generated from renewables
such as solar power, wind power, landfill methane, and biomass expands as a viable power source in North Carolina.
Through the dedicated support of individuals
and businesses
across the state, NC GreenPower is helping make “green power”
a real option for producing electricity in North Carolina, for North
Carolinians. Take time to learn more about energy and how you can
make a positive impact for yourself and our state.
Back to top |
