Front Porch Blog
Updates from Appalachia
It’s Solar Day, So Why is Duke Energy So Sour?
Today is Solar Day. But unfortunately, the solar industry in North Carolina might be growing to quickly for big daddy Duke Energy to keep in check. As the News & Observer and other sources are reporting, Duke wants to reduce the value of the renewable energy credits North Carolina households that have installed rooftop solar receive for generating electricity that is fed into the grid.
Hannah Wiegard: Binge-watching “Doctor Who” and Bettering Virginia’s Energy Options
I joined Appalachian Voices to help steer Appalachian Power and Dominion Virginia Power toward clean energy. Over the recent winter break, I got a jump on this massive undertaking in what may seem an unusual way: by becoming utterly engrossed in a “Doctor Who” marathon. I maintain that it was time well-spent in the fight for clean energy sources and efficiency for the Old Dominion.
The West Virginia Chemical Spill: A Warning for North Carolina
There is a lesson in West Virginia’s water crisis for North Carolina policymakers and regulatory agencies akin to the saying that those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. If you look at the changes to and by the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources in 2013 and the path ahead in 2014, the General Assembly seems resolved to run headlong down a shortsighted path that will lead to the same inevitable consequences.
A Successful First Energy Savings Session in Sugar Grove, N.C.
On Jan. 9, Watauga County residents left the Sugar Grove Community Center equipped and inspired to make their homes more energy efficient. We’re excited to continue hosting Energy Savings Information Sessions throughout western North Carolina and East Tennessee.
West Virginia’s Water Crisis: As Predictable As It Was Preventable
On Thursday, Jan. 9, more than 7,500 gallons of a highly toxic chemical used to process coal spilled into the Elk River — just upstream of a drinking water intake serving more than 300,000 people in West Virginia. While the spill was making national headlines as a one-time event, our thoughts turned to the much bigger problems with water pollution and politics in Appalachia that don’t get enough attention from the media — and how these chronic problems actually set the stage for this disaster.
