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Duke Energy has been and will continue to be an essential partner for implementing our climate and clean <br /> 0 <br /> energy plans and related priorities. To date, the undersigned have established strong partnerships with J <br /> Duke Energy through individual and group initiatives and the undersigned appreciate Duke Energy's <br /> efforts to model six unique IRP scenarios with various pathways to a clean energy future.The undersigned i5 <br /> LL <br /> see the 2020 Biennial IRP as another pivotal opportunity to collaborate and achieve more together. We 1L <br /> appreciate that the IRP begins to address our long-term renewable energy goals and GHG emission 0 <br /> reduction goals as Duke Energy aims to meet their goal of net-zero carbon by 2050. Due to the urgency <br /> of climate change and the implications to the wellbeing of all, there are additional actions that should be <br /> considered to affordably and equitably reduce GHG emissions at a faster pace than currently outlined. <br /> Given this,the undersigned ask that the Commission direct Duke Energy to: j <br /> 0 <br /> 1. Retire its coal power plants as soon as possible to improve the health and public <br /> Nt <br /> benefits of our communities and use all-source procurement for any replacement <br /> and expansion generation. <br /> LL <br /> Our concerns with keeping coal power plants online any longer than absolutely necessary are due to their <br /> negative impacts on public health, the economy and the climate. Given these concerns, the undersigned <br /> commend Duke Energy's plans for retiring coal units"Allen 1-5" by 2025 in both the"Most Economic"and <br /> "Earliest Practicable"2020 IRP scenarios and are encouraged by Duke Energy's"Earliest Practicable" 2020 <br /> IRP scenario that has all coal units set to retire by 2030. However, the undersigned have concerns about <br /> plans to primarily replace capacity with natural gas power plants, which are heavy emitters and could <br /> eventually become stranded assets due to the dramatic decline in the cost of renewable energy and <br /> maturation of storage. <br /> All-source procurement can help ensure that Duke Energy's customers are receiving the best solutions <br /> the market can offer and benefiting from increased competition among suppliers that can lead to lower <br /> prices. All-source procurement is a type of request for proposals (RFP) that is technology agnostic, <br /> allowing a full range of potential resources to compete on equal footing, and can create a fair process for <br /> renewable energy, energy efficiency, demand-side management, and storage to play a more critical role <br /> in addressing future energy and capacity needs. Because it typically delivers a suite of technologies and <br /> solutions, all-source procurement can also increase the grid's resilience in the face of unexpected natural <br /> disasters and reduce probabilities of outages. <br /> A financial tool like rate-payer backed securitization, when made available in North Carolina, can address <br /> the challenge of recovering undepreciated value of the coal plants through the low-cost refinancing of <br /> that value through the issuance of low-risk bonds backed by customers paying their utility bills. The <br /> undersigned strongly encourage Duke Energy to meet the coal retirement dates they have outlined in <br /> the"Earliest Practicable" scenario and replace any needed generation through all-source procurement <br /> with an aim towards a combination of renewables, efficiency, demand response, and storage that can <br /> provide the same services as fossil gas plants at lower costs. <br /> 3 <br />