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Clean energy groups push back on North Carolina regulators' solar energy pause

A Duke employee inspects solar panels at Capital Partners Solar. Elizabeth City, NC.
Duke Energy
/
Courtesy
A Duke employee inspects solar panels at Capital Partners Solar in Elizabeth City, N.C.

Last month, state regulators passed an unusual order that put a pause on Duke Energy’s new solar energy development in North Carolina.

The Southern Environmental Law Center filed a motion with the North Carolina Utility Commission to reconsider the order, calling it “arbitrary and capricious.”

The order was unusual for a few reasons: only Utilities Commission Chair William Brawley issued it, and the commission didn’t hold a public hearing before making a decision.

It also paused solar procurements that the commission greenlit during the last Carbon Plan, which the commission approved in 2024.

The SELC argued that an expedited review of the order is in the public interest, as these solar “missing megawatts” risk the reliability and affordability of Duke Energy’s service.

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Zachary Turner is a climate reporter and author of the WFAE Climate News newsletter. He freelanced for radio and digital print, reporting on environmental issues in North Carolina.