How much are consumers willing to pay for renewable energy, energy efficiency and climate change?

New technologies to reduce the greenhouse gases, specifically carbon dioxide, could cost billions of dollars.Any serious effort to fight global warming will require everyone to pay more for energy.That does not include the expected increases due to the cost of new power plants needed to meet the increasing demand for electricity.We are talking about significant increases in what we pay for electricity.

Higher prices will force consumers to use less electricity and make it profitable for others to invest in alternate, and higher-priced, resources.That is why we question each proposal brought forward by Congress when we meet regularly with our elected representatives.

Changes in the electric industry are coming, but each change needs to have a real, measurable payoff. More research is needed to find ways to improve the efficiency of renewable resources, such as wind and solar.
 

We need to develop ways to store this intermittent energy so that it can become a more stable part of the system. Nationally, electric co-ops are leading the push for more investments in research and development for carbon capture and storage, and clean-coal technology. At the same time, we are working to find new, economically feasible projects that will move us toward changes in the industry.

Piedmont Electric\'s solar project in Caswell County will be tied into the transmission grid this month. We\'re excited to be in a position to use renewable energy to generate some of the power used by our members. Although it does not represent a large portion of our total energy requirements, it is a start toward meeting mandates set down by the N.C. General Assembly.

Nationwide, co-ops are doing a lot to help cut emissions, improve efficiency and meet the needs of their members. And, we strive to do it while remembering that electricity is a necessity, not a luxury.

As we balance what needs to be done with what it will cost and who will pay that cost, Piedmont Electric will continue to look out for our members.