North Carolina Voices: Tomorrow's Energy
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Energy – and how we get it – affects everyone. Someone loads coal in a chute in a western North Carolina power plant, and someone else turns on a light in the Triangle.
But how will we get that energy in 10 or 20 years? Coal is a leading cause of global warming… and we can't yet rely on renewable energy like solar and wind.
Are utility companies making the right decisions? And are environmentalists realistic about our everyday needs? At stake is not just the state's economic growth, but our quality of life.
North Carolina Voices: Tomorrow's Energy is a two-week long series that will look at the people making the decisions and driving the debate over energy. It airs on Morning Edition and energy-related topics will be discussed on The State of Things.
The stories aired over the course of April 12-23 are presented in an hour-long special hosted by Eric Hodge.
Audio stories from this series
You'll find all the stories from this series posted here a within a few hours of their airing on WUNC.
NC Voices: Tomorrow's Energy Special
Original Air Date: Apr. 25, 2010
Friday, April 30 2010
by David Brower and Eric Hodge
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Eric Hodge hosts a one-hour digest of the Energy Series stories that aired April 12-23, 2010 .
This story is part of the North Carolina Voices series.
NC Voices: Tomorrow's Energy -- Wind Power
Part 9 of 9 in NC Voices: Tomorrow's Energy
Thursday, April 22 2010
by Jessica Jones
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App State Profesor Dennis Scanlin
North Carolina could get most of the energy it needs as a state from renewable sources including solar and wind. That's according to a report published earlier this year by the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research. But when it comes to producing wind energy that goes back into the grid, North Carolina is behind other states. In fact, there is only one utility-grade wind turbine in all of North Carolina. Jessica Jones reports for our series, North Carolina Voices: Tomorrow's Energy.
This story is part of the North Carolina Voices series.
NC Voices: Tomorrow's Energy -- Solar Power
Part 8 of 9 in NC Voices: Tomorrow's Energy
Wednesday, April 21 2010
by Jessica Jones
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Credit: NCSU/CSE
Over the last three years, North Carolina has seen exponential growth in the use of solar power- from a few panels on homeowners' roofs to heat hot water to large installations that produce energy and send it right back into the grid. Small business owners working in the industry believe what they're doing is good for the state and for the environment. But right now, their prospects are limited. Jessica Jones reports for our series North Carolina Voices: Tomorrow's Energy.
This story is part of the North Carolina Voices series.
NC Voices: Tomorrow's Energy -- Smart Grid
Part 7 of 9 in NC Voices: Tomorrow's Energy
Tuesday, April 20 2010
by Leoneda Inge
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Consert CEO Jack Roberts
New businesses to help save the planet are popping up everyday. As a result, your ability to do environmental good may be closer to your finger tips than you think. Already, there are pockets of households and businesses in North Carolina that are able to control their heaters and air conditioners online or from their smart phones. They're living on a Smart Grid - that's becoming smarter and smarter every day.
As part of our series North Carolina Voices: Tomorrow's Energy, reporter Leoneda Inge has the story of one smart grid pilot project in Fayetteville.
This story is part of the North Carolina Voices series.
Behind the Reporting: “Tomorrow’s Energy”
Tuesday, April 20 2010
by Frank Stasio and Katy Barron
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If you’ve been tuned in to Morning Edition this past week or so, you’ve been hearing a series of reports about energy from WUNC’s reporters. The series, “North Carolina Voices: Tomorrow’s Energy,” addresses where North Carolinians currently get their power and where we’ll get it in the future. A lot of work goes into those six or seven-minute radio reports, which means a lot also gets left out. The melody of a coal-fired power plant and the sculptural beauty of a wind turbine are among the details of the reporting that didn’t make it on the air. On today’s show, we’ll talk with WUNC reporters Dave DeWitt, Leoneda Inge, Jessica Jones and Laura Leslie about what they took away from their reporting and what else is left to say about powering North Carolina’s future.
This story is part of the North Carolina Voices series.
Tomorrow's Energy: Energy Efficient
Part 6 of 9 in NC Voices: Tomorrow's Energy
Monday, April 19 2010
by Leoneda Inge
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Durham Sustainability Mgr Tobin Freid
North Carolina has topped many lists in the past few years. It's one of the fastest growing states and ranks high for its business climate. But in energy efficiency, NC is wading somewhere in the middle of the pack nationwide.
Energy experts predict the down economy and heightened concerns about climate change may also help change minds - steering utilities, state government and residents to action. As part of our series North Carolina Voices: Tomorrow's Energy, reporter Leoneda Inge has the story of how communities are working towards energy efficiency.
This story is part of the North Carolina Voices series.
Tomorrow's Energy: Campus Power
Part 5 of 9 in NC Voices: Tomorrow's Energy
Friday, April 16 2010
by Dave DeWitt
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Universities like UNC Chapel Hill, Duke, and NC State are among the largest electricity users in the state. Some produce their own power, some buy their electricity from utility companies. And all have student bodies that are vocal in their anxiety over global warming.
As part of our series North Carolina Voices: Tomorrow’s Energy, Dave DeWitt looks at how campuses are transforming to meet their future energy challenges.
This story is part of the North Carolina Voices series.
Tomorrow's Energy: Pricing Power
Part 4 of 9 in NC Voices: Tomorrow's Energy
Thursday, April 15 2010
by Laura Leslie
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Creative Commons/Jc3s5h
Most energy consumers know what they pay for electricity. But very few of us know why we pay what we do. Who decides what a kilowatt should cost? And how does energy policy change that? In this segment of our series North Carolina Voices: Tomorrow’s Energy, Laura Leslie reports on the complex process of pricing power.
Web Extras:
This story is part of the North Carolina Voices series.
Tomorrow's Energy: Going Nuclear
Part 3 of 9 in NC Voices: Tomorrow's Energy
Wednesday, April 14 2010
by Dave DeWitt
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Energy companies are predicting that the need for power will grow in North Carolina in the coming years. With climate legislation likely, they are turning back to an energy source that has been put on the back burner for several decades… nuclear.
In February, President Obama announced 8 billion dollars in loan guarantees for a Georgia utility company hoping to build new nuclear reactors. Progress Energy and Duke Energy both have plans to also build new nuclear to serve customers in North Carolina.
As part of our North Carolina Voices: Tomorrow’s Energy series, reporter Dave DeWitt has the story of how nuclear may play into the state’s future…
This story is part of the North Carolina Voices series.
Drill in N.C., Baby, Drill
Wednesday, April 14 2010
by Frank Stasio and Katy Barron
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The White House unveiled a new and controversial plan to open up more than 160 million acres of ocean floor to drilling two weeks ago. Some states were omitted from the plan, but not North Carolina and its neighbors. We’ll find out why North Carolina politicians’ once vociferous opposition to offshore drilling seems to have fizzled. Plus, will the new drilling plan help land Obama a win on climate change legislation?
As part of our series “North Carolina Voices: Tomorrow’s Energy,” Frank Stasio speaks with reporters Barb Barrett, of McClatchy’s Washington, D.C. bureau, and Scott Harper, of The Virginian-Pilot about the new politics of oil.
This story is part of the North Carolina Voices series.
Tomorrow's Energy: Quitting Coal
Part 2 of 9 in NC Voices: Tomorrow's Energy
Tuesday, April 13 2010
by Laura Leslie
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Skies over Cape Fear Plant, Moncure
Every time you hit the light switch, half the power you use is supplied by coal. It's one of the cheapest and most dependable fuels we have. It's also the dirtiest. As regulators crack down on carbon and other emissions, some say we should stop using coal altogether. Others aren't sure that's a realistic goal. Laura Leslie reports for our series North Carolina Voices: Tomorrow's Energy.
Web Extras
This story is part of the North Carolina Voices series.
Meet Steve Kalland
Monday, April 12 2010
by Amber Nimocks and Frank Stasio
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ncsc.ncsu.edu
The North Carolina Solar Center traces its beginnings to an experimental solar-powered house that N.C. State engineers built in 1981. Since then, the center has evolved into an advocacy and policy group that works to help make it easier to access all kinds of renewable energy sources. As part of our series N.C. Voices: Tomorrow's Energy, host Frank Stasio talks to Steve Kalland, executive director of the N.C. Solar Center. He says the state is inching toward a robust market for renewable energy, one small bureaucratic step at a time.
This story is part of the North Carolina Voices series.
Tomorrow's Energy: Overview
Part 1 of 9 in NC Voices: Tomorrow's Energy
Monday, April 12 2010
by Dave DeWitt
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Energy companies are predicting that the need for power will grow in North Carolina in the coming years. With climate legislation likely, they are turning back to an energy source that has been put on the back burner for several decades… nuclear.
In February, President Obama announced 8 billion dollars in loan guarantees for a Georgia utility company hoping to build new nuclear reactors. Progress Energy and Duke Energy both have plans to also build new nuclear to serve customers in North Carolina.
As part of our series, North Carolina Voices, Tomorrow’s Energy, reporter Dave DeWitt has the story of how nuclear may play into the state’s future…
This story is part of the North Carolina Voices series.
Funding for the North Carolina Voices: Tomorrow's Energy series provided in part by:
