The Effect of Utilities Regulation on the Economics of Wind Energy in North Carolina
Date
2009-04-24
Author
Advisors
Smith, Martin
Salvesen, David
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Abstract
In order for wind energy to be feasible in the sounds of North Carolina, it must be
economical. The price paid for electricity produced by wind must be sufficiently
high to translate into a reasonable rate of return for developers and investors.
Countervailing tensions on regulators, utilities and the renewable energy generators
function to depress the price of wind energy. Lawmakers have passed utility regulations
in order to improve the economic situation of wind energy projects by either diminishing
the initial capital needed, lowering the risk or ensuring a fair price. The two primary
utility statutes affecting the economics of wind energy in North Carolina, the federal
Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 and North Carolina’s Renewable Portfolio
Standard of 2007, have thus far been ineffectual. If the North Carolina legislature
wants to develop wind energy in their state, it should amend NC REPS to add a wind
energy percentage requirement to put it on equal footing with solar. Alternatively,
adding externalities into the cost calculation would make wind one of the most economical
of all the electricity options.
Type
Master's projectPermalink
https://hdl.handle.net/10161/1012Citation
Vale, Susannah (2009). The Effect of Utilities Regulation on the Economics of Wind Energy in North Carolina.
Master's project, Duke University. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/1012.Collections
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