WASHINGTON, March 24, 2016 - Duke Energy will buy swine and poultry waste output from a facility planned for eastern North Carolina and use the captured methane gas to generate renewable electricity at four power stations. Carbon Cycle Energy will build and own the facility, but the exact location has not yet been announced.
Under North Carolina’s Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (REPS), Duke Energy companies must meet specific compliance targets for swine and poultry waste. And with over 2,000 hog operations in the state, there’s plenty of waste that can be converted.
In 2007, North Carolina’s REPS law was passed as part of Senate Bill 3 – establishing a clean energy market in the state. It also directed the state’s electric utilities to generate a portion of the state’s electricity needs both from renewable energy resources and through energy efficiency. That amount gradually increases until it reaches a maximum amount of 12.5 percent by the year 2021.
Under a 15-year agreement, Carbon Cycle Energy is expected to produce more than 1 million MMBtus of pipeline-quality captured methane a year. Duke Energy should yield about 125,000 megawatt-hours of renewable energy, enough to power about 10,000 homes. The renewable energy credits (RECs) generated annually by the effort will help satisfy state mandates.
“We are pleased Duke Energy is supportive of our facility in North Carolina,” says James Powell, CEO of Carbon Cycle Energy. “We still have additional work to do with licensing, local regulations and completing our organic waste supply chain. But having a confirmed buyer like Duke Energy is a major step.”
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