Relive all the memories from the North Carolina debut of the STN EXPO East Conference! Over the six days of the conference, attendees had no shortage of educational sessions, networking events and unique experiences, all geared towards having the conversations that are making a difference in the student transportation industry. Watch the daily videos that were brought to you live from the conference and highlight events like the Bus Technology Summit, Green Bus Summit, the Charlotte Motor Speedway Reception, the Trade Show and more!
The National School Bus Inspection Training commenced Friday with classroom instruction and finished Saturday with hands-on inspections and manufacturer training.
Instructors came from the South Carolina Department of Education, Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township in Indiana, Paulding County School District in Georgia, the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence, and Clean Cities Long Beach in California.
Two-dozen class participants were bused Saturday morning to nearby Cabarrus County Schools, where they participated in the hands-on training, including recognizing defects on school buses that were situated throughout modernized, technologically advanced facility, dubbed locally as the “Garage Mahal.”
OEM training overview was provided by ROUSH CleanTech and Blue Bird on propane autogas systems, IC Bus on diesel emission systems, and Thomas Built Buses on high-voltage electric school buses.
Two major hurricanes swept through the Southeast last year, causing catastrophic damage, widespread power outages and devastation.
These weather events greatly disrupted the educational system in several states, but student transportation departments did not go on hiatus. At the STN EXPO East Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, transportation directors from the areas affected by severe 2024 hurricanes last fall discussed their responses to the historic natural events and where they are on the road to recovery.
The panel was facilitated by Derek Graham, an industry consultant who has over three decades of experience. He was state director of pupil transportation with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction for 21 years as well as a past president of the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services. He was joined by Jeremy Stowe, director of transportation for Buncombe County Schools in the Asheville, North Carolina, area, and Laura Hill, general manager of transportation at Hillsborough County Public Schools in Tampa, Florida.
Hill opened with her experiences, first with Hurricane Helene and then with Hurricane Milton 11 days later. She oversees transportation for a large district, where 80,000 students are transported every day over 800-plus routes.
Hurricanes are nothing new for Florida, which Hill said routinely can include evacuations using school buses and using school campuses as shelters. However, Helene was called the “100 Year Storm” for the upper Gulf Coast of Florida, with historic levels of flooding, power outages and infrastructure damage.
School closures for weather events, she explained, normally lasted three to four day. But in the aftermath of Helene, Hillsbourough schools were closed for two weeks.
She explained that because of Florida’s experience with heavy winds, the school buses had already been parked close together to minimize wind damage. She said her staff also had scheduled fuel deliveries before Helene, but because of the damage didn’t have an opportunity to refuel before Milton hit. Infrastructure damage, mainly from trees falling on power lines and road closures due to sinkholes created a prolonged school closure for the Florida district.
Buncombe County Schools did not have a hurricane plan, said Stowe. On Sept. 26, when Helene began, Stowe said eight school buses were on standby to aid with evacuations. By 4 a.m. the next day, the fire marshal called and said he needed more buses and that first responders didn’t realize how bad this storm would be. Stowe continued that this began an extended effort on his part and that of his team to work side by-side with first responders and emergency management personnel.
“We had an opportunity to show up,” he said of the transportation department. “We’re the ones who show up when no one else does.”
He continued that four “R’s” that come into play with any catastrophic natural disaster: Response, Recovery, Reopening and Relationships.
Even Stowe’s college-aged son joined the response team, having recently acquired his school bus driving endorsement. He drove fuel trucks to fire departments. Stowe explained that unlike some other districts, Buncombe does not have a central fueling station. Instead, fueling trucks drive directly to school buses to refuel them. Stowe said he “became very popular” with emergency management teams as he had a store of fuel in supply.
One important process to remember, said Stowe, is that during rescue and response efforts make sure to track all activities with photos and thorough documentation. This is often needed soon after the initial response phase to receive reimbursement from FEMA via other aid organizations.
“When my CFO calls, I have the receipts of everything we did, who asked for help, why I sent it and what we did,” he added.
Stowe also noted that with many homes destroyed, the number of displaced students needing transportation soared to 1,200 from the normal list of 80 to 100 students who qualify under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. He continued that he meticulously tracked what resources were used to transport the additional displaced students (which included hiring contractor EverDriven), since only storm-related costs were to be reimbursed.
Meanwhile, the standard McKinney-Vento students remained the district’s budgetary and operational responsibility. For students with special needs or disabilities, he said transportation made sure to transport them to and from critical appointments, such as medical needs.
Creating relationships with first responders and key district personnel was crucial, said Stowe.
“Be that shining face of your department, know who you need to know,” he said.
To create seamless cooperation with emergency management teams, he advised transportation directors to all take the FEMA ICS-100 course, which is an “introduction to the Incident Command System.” He explained that any federal or local government agency will follow this protocol exactly, and knowing how the command structure works can allow transportation to smoothly join process.
The recovery process included crucial input from transportation, as Stowe, Hill and Grant each noted that there is constant pressure to reopen schools and give students a return to normalcy as soon as possible. With many families still without power or low on food, those resources can be provided at school.
Stowe said his drivers were recruited and paid to drive their routes and identify roads and bus stops that were not serviceable, as well as provide visual inspections of damage from flooding and downed power lines.
“You don’t realize how much a part of the community you and your school buses are,” said Stowe. “You are the backbone of the community.”
Buncombe County didn’t have a protracted recovery, but rebuilding is ongoing, as many roads are still not drivable. Stowe said that has led to routing complications and subsequent parent requests for routes that cannot be safely done.
“For a road to be open for a school bus route, the bus must be able to travel in its assigned lane without crossing the double yellow line into oncoming traffic,” he explained.
Graham said that in his experience with North Carolina storms, administrators often want a book afterward that is filled with an exact plan of what to do when a storm hits. But as he and Stowe both stated, response is a moving puzzle. Instead of trying to create a detailed plan for every scenario, Stowe said his mindset for transportation is to, “Stay in our lane and know who I need to move and how I need to move them. It doesn’t matter if it’s for a shooter or a gas break, we just need to move them.”
Transportation accomplishes this by keeping track of how many people are in any given school building and how many buses would be needed to evacuate those individuals, Stowe shared.
Attendees in the audience shared their experiences with hurricane response, which also included similar experiences of extended school closures, power outages and damages. One attendee from Colorado also recommended the ICS-700 course, as that is what the National Guard also uses, and knowing how it works can help transportation sync communication with emergency management.
As Stowe explained, “Run the same models within the district so we’re not speaking two different languages. Cut and paste your team into those larger structures.”
Bill Wen, senior director of transportation services at Orange County Public Schools in Orlando Florida, said his district created a District Incident Management Team that includes leadership from different district departments to coordinate emergency management responses.
All three panelists and many of the attendees noted that before disaster struck, they thought it would never happen to them or in their area. To be equipped for a natural disaster, preparations can be made, training can be done, and directors can start building relationships with local support systems.
From left: Jeremy Stowe, Laura Hill and Derek Graham pose together at the 2025 STN EXPO East Conference
CHARLOTTE, NC,- Child Safety Network Joins Forces with School Bus Industry Leaders at STN EXPO East.
March 20-25, 2024 The Child Safety Network (CSN) is thrilled to connect with top industry leaders at STN EXPO East, the premier event dedicated to advancing student transportation safety. This year’s conference will feature cutting-edge technology, best practices, and critical discussions on business management, maintenance, and security. Attendees can also participate in the Green Bus & Technology Summits, exploring innovations in sustainable student transport.
CSN proudly supports School Transportation News (STN) www.STNonline.com as a leading resource for industry trends. CSN advisor Tony Corpin, President & Publisher of STN Media Group, has been instrumental in shaping the publication’s impact. In 2021, CSN presented Corpin with the National Child Safety Award, recognizing his outstanding contributions to CSN and school transportation safety—an honor that included a flag being flown over the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., and his name entered into the Congressional Record.
After more than a decade attending STN EXPOs, I’ve seen first hand how STN EXPO’s equip professionals with the tools and connections to create meaningful change for millions of students,” said Ward Leber, CSN Founder & Chairman.
CSN urges partners and sponsors to engage with STN’s impactful initiatives, including:
STN Webinar Series – Exploring innovation & technology in student transportation. School Transportation Nation Podcast – Hosted by Tony Corpin & Ryan Gray, delivering expert insights.
For sponsorship and partnership opportunities, contact Tony Corpin directly. Join us in shaping the future of student transportation safety!
The final day of the STN EXPO East conference will feature a behind-the-scenes tour of the Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner Plant in High Point, North Carolina.
The March 25 tour will host two groups of 50 attendees each, transported by bus to the plant. Upon arrival, attendees will be escorted in groups of 10 through the plant by Thomas Built Buses regional sales managers, who will answer questions and provide detailed insight into the plant’s workings. Tour attendees will see firsthand the production of Thomas’ Type C and Type D buses as well as new automation on the assembly line, welding, painting and body mounting processes.
Thomas’ Type D bus production, including the Saf-T-Liner HDX2, has been fully transitioned to the North Carolina Saf-T-Liner Plant. A recent press release announced the arrival of the new Saf-T-Liner EFX2 Type D bus, which will also be manufactured at the Saf-T-Liner Plant.
Following the tour, tour attendees will be provided lunch while hearing from company leadership about Thomas’ latest news updates. Attendees will also receive Thomas Built Buses goodie bags and be transported back to Embassy Suites by Hilton Charlotte Concord Golf Resort & Spa.
Space is limited, so secure your spot today at stnexpo.com/east. Main conference registration will also provide access to dozens of educational sessions, the interactive Bus Technology Summit experience, networking events including the Charlotte Motor Speedway Reception, the Green Bus Summit and the STN EXPO Trade Show.
HIGH POINT, N.C. — Thomas Built Buses, a leading manufacturer of school buses in North America, has fully transitioned its Type D product line to its state-of-the-art Saf-T-Liner Plant in Archdale, North Carolina. The introduction of the Saf-T-Liner EFX2 marks the final chapter in this evolution, bringing next-generation innovation, manufacturing efficiencies and enhanced durability to the Type D bus segment.
“This launch represents the end of an era but also the beginning of a new one,” says T.J. Reed, president and CEO of Thomas Built Buses. “With the EFX2, we are delivering a bus designed with modern advancements in safety and reliability, while leveraging the precision and efficiency of our most advanced manufacturing facility. This is the next step forward in our commitment to delivering best-in-class Type D school buses.”
The Saf-T-Liner EFX2 follows the success of the HDX2, integrating key innovations inspired by the industry-leading Saf-T-Liner C2. The move to the newly renamed Saf-T-Liner facility enables production efficiencies, greater quality control and a streamlined supply chain ensuring a more consistent and durable product for school districts nationwide.
Key features of the Saf-T-Liner EFX2:
New exterior design: The EFX2 adopts the C2-style aesthetic with its updated front and rear roof caps.
Enhanced durability and safety: Built with Saf-T-Net construction, the EFX2 integrates advanced adhesives and mechanical fasteners for increased strength. Robotic paint application and in-line body undercoating further improve longevity and corrosion protection.
Optimized production for faster cycle times: The Saf-T-Liner plant transition allows for greater production flexibility, ensuring faster customer cycle times.
Simplified maintenance and service: Designed with fleet efficiency in mind, the EFX2 incorporates common parts with the C2 to streamline maintenance and reduce service complexity.
Proven performance: The EFX2 is powered by a 6.7L Cummins engine that starts at 200 HP, paired with an Allison 2500PTS transmission, ensuring dependable performance. Additional customization options include air disc or heavy-duty air drum brakes and an optional 106K BTU air conditioning system.
Orders for the EFX2 are now open. Limited production will begin in the second quarter of 2025, with full-scale production expected in the latter half of the year.
Building excitement ahead of STN Expo East:
As part of the ongoing celebration of this milestone, Thomas Built Buses is offering an exclusive STN Expo East plant tour. Attendees will gain an insider’s view of the Saf-T-Liner production facility where the EFX2 and HDX2 are built. For more information on the conference or to register for the Saf-T-Liner plant tour, visit here.
For more information on the Saf-T-Liner EFX2 or to place an order, contact your local Thomas Built dealer.
About Thomas Built Buses:
Founded in 1916, Thomas Built Buses is a leading manufacturer of school buses in North America. Since the first Thomas Built bus rolled off the assembly line, the company has been committed to delivering the smartest and most innovative buses in North America. Learn more at thomasbuiltbuses.com or at facebook.com/thomasbuiltbuses.
Thomas Built Buses, Inc., headquartered in High Point, North Carolina, is a subsidiary of Daimler Truck North America LLC, a leading provider of comprehensive products and technologies for the commercial transportation industry. The company designs, engineers, manufactures and markets medium- and heavy-duty trucks, school buses, vehicle chassis and their associated technologies and components under the Freightliner, Western Star, Thomas Built Buses, Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp and Detroit brands. Daimler Truck North America is a subsidiary of Daimler Truck, one of the world’s leading commercial vehicle manufacturers.
HIGH POINT, N.C. – Thomas Built Buses (TBB), a leading manufacturer of school buses in North America, has once again achieved a “World Class” Net Promoter Score (NPS), marking its tenth consecutive year earning this distinction. This achievement reinforces the company’s strong commitment to customer experience (CX) and dealer support.
“For a decade, Thomas Built has remained dedicated to delivering a best-in-class CX, reflected in our consistent achievement of a “World Class” Net Promoter Score,” said Anca Matache, general manager of CX and service at Thomas Built Buses. “This ongoing recognition speaks to the strong collaboration between Thomas Built and our dealer network, prioritizing customer satisfaction at every stage of the bus ownership journey. We remain committed to continuous improvement, using advanced tools and insights to further enhance our service and support.”
The NPS is widely recognized as a leading indicator of customer loyalty. On a scale of 0 to 10, customers are surveyed on how likely they are to recommend Thomas Built to a friend or colleague. Scores above 50 are considered “Excellent,” while scores above 70 are deemed “World Class.”
Thomas Built Buses continues to prioritize exceptional customer service, leveraging data-driven insights and dealer collaboration to maintain and improve customer satisfaction.
About Thomas Built Buses:
Founded in 1916, Thomas Built Buses is a leading manufacturer of school buses in North America. Since the first Thomas Built bus rolled off the assembly line, the company has been committed to delivering the smartest and most innovative buses in North America. Learn more at thomasbuiltbuses.com or at facebook.com/thomasbuiltbuses.
Thomas Built Buses, Inc., headquartered in High Point, North Carolina, is a subsidiary of Daimler Truck North America LLC, a leading provider of comprehensive products and technologies for the commercial transportation industry. The company designs, engineers, manufactures and markets medium- and heavy-duty trucks, school buses, vehicle chassis and their associated technologies and components under the Freightliner, Western Star, Thomas Built Buses, Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp and Detroit brands. Daimler Truck North America is a subsidiary of Daimler Truck, one of the world’s leading commercial vehicle manufacturers.
In addition to school bus maintenance professionals identifying the most defects in the least amount of time during an inspection, new training opportunities have been added to the hands-on National School Bus Inspection Training Program held on March 23 in North Carolina during STN EXPO East.
The National School Bus Inspection Training Program begins March 22 with classroom training using a manual that lists every component a technician should be familiar with and be inspecting regularly to keep school buses in the best operating condition. The course exceeds the requirements of federal and state departments of transportation. The instructors will then administer an exam that tests the class participants’ retention of the information covered.
Day two on March 23 will be hosted by Cabarrus County Schools. The class will be split into two groups for guided inspections led by program instructors or advanced inspections, where the participants will perform solo, timed inspections for defects. All the inspections cover the engine compartment, underneath a lifted school bus, and the internal cab.
The event also includes manufacturer training. ROUSH CleanTechwill provide an overview of its propane autogas system in the Blue Bird Vision. Thomas Built Buses will provide an overview of high voltage maintenance and safety on its Jouley electric school bus. Representatives from Clean Cities will first gauge participants’ familiarity with electric school buses and quiz them on components. A fourth training module is pending.
Prior to school buses leaving for Cabarrus County Schools on March 23, Transfinder will present an overview of maintenance software and its relation to vehicle inspections. Lunch will be provided to class participants at Cabarrus County Schools and buses will return to the hotel when training concludes.
The inspection and training program cost $199 per person for March 21 and 22 through Feb. 14. Secure $100 off main conference registration — which includes over two dozen additional educational sessions, the Green Bus Summit and related Ride and Drive/Technology Demonstration at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, the Bus Technology Summit, the Trade Show, and all related lunch and evening events — also through Feb. 14.
STN EXPO East’s debut in North Carolina in March will bring together the latest school bus technology with green fleet offerings during the Bus Technology Summit and Green Bus Summit events.
The Bus Technology Summit is a hands-on and interactive experience on Sunday, March 23, where attendees can see product demonstrations during laboratories presented by industry companies. This event will allow attendees to discuss challenges and solutions directly with vendors who can answer their questions in real time and demonstrate the technologies’ capabilities. The labs will be presented by Zonar, Tyler Technologies, Transfinder, Geotab, First Light Safety Products and First Student.
Presented by Bus Technology Summit title sponsor Zonar, the opening session on Sunday, “CEO Talk: 2025 Technology Trends,” will feature Zonar President and CEO Charles Kriete as he discusses the emerging trends of student transportation technology and what they mean for the industry’s future.
The Green Bus Summit sessions will be held the same day and will feature sessions on electric bus technology and other considerations of adding zero-emission buses to school bus fleets. Educational sessions will be presented by Blue Bird, IC Bus, Ride, Propane Education Research Council (PERC)/Southeast Propane Alliance.
Attendees will be able to choose which Bus Technology or Green Bus sessions to attend based on operational needs and interests.
On Sunday evening, the Bus Technology Summit and Green Bus Summit converge for an entertaining and informative evening on the racetrack. The Charlotte Motor Speedway Reception will feature a technology demonstration and ride & drive event hosted at the famous speedway that has hosted major car races, including NASCAR events.
The evening event will include indoor technology demonstrations in the Sprint Cup Garage from participating sponsors. Attendees will be able to ride various green buses as they drive around the track. Dinner and drinks will be available to enjoy in the Winner’s Circle Lounge. There will be a live DJ as well as games, including a racing simulator and a tire changing competition under the speedway lights.
The Bus Technology Summit and Green Bus Summit continue on Monday, March 24.
Save $100 on conference registration with Early Bird registration by Feb. 14. Find the conference agenda, exhibitor lists, hotel information and registration at stnexpo.com/east.
Jane Thornton tried and failed to stop the wood pellet plant from being built within earshot of her home in Faison, a tiny farming town in eastern North Carolina where she’s lived for over 60 years.
Now, some eight years later, she and her neighbors have a smaller but critical aim: getting the facility to better control its dust and the nuisance it creates.
Silver-haired and soft-spoken, Thornton is quick to wax philosophical about the forces that have fueled the pellet industry’s rise, largely driven by a decades-old carbon accounting loophole that countries use to allege climate progress. The unintended consequences are concentrated in the U.S. Southeast, which has emerged as a hub for the industry.
“It’s not green,” she said, referring to industry claims of sustainability. “Because when you cut the trees down, you lose the effect of them taking the bad stuff [out of the air]. And then we send them to Europe and use a lot of diesel fuel, which is not good. And they burn it and pollute their air. So how do they think it’s green?”
A host of advocates, scientists, and data backs up Thornton. Producing pellets, shipping them to Europe and Asia, and burning them in power plants all creates carbon pollution greater than that of burning coal. Too often, pellets are made from whole, hardwood trees that were absorbing carbon dioxide while they were alive. Their replacements, often pines, can’t regrow in time to make up for it.
As global climate negotiators debate the fuel’s carbon cycle, today Thornton and others in Faison are focused on dust. Indeed, neighbors of five wood pellet mills in the Southeast, including two operated by Enviva Biomass in North Carolina, list dust as their top concern, according to research conducted by the Southern Environmental Law Center and several other groups.
“That is the number one thing I have heard from almost every community I’ve talked to about pellet mills. It’s incessant dust,” said Heather Hillaker, senior attorney at the law center.
“We’re up against limited regulatory opportunities,” she acknowledged. But the state could force Enviva to tamp down the problem. “This is one area where there is a regulation that applies to an issue that is very prevalent for the community.”
At her home last month, Thornton described watching suppliers roll past on their way to Enviva’s factory.
“I’ve seen more log trucks come by today,” Thornton said. “They clear-cut everything. You get the oaks and the maples and the sycamores and whatever else is out there, and then you come back and plant pines. So, we’re going to have pine forests — or pine plantations.”
She added, “They’re not forests, because a forest is whatever the Lord puts out there.”
Public health impacts
The practice of burning pellets for power isn’t economical without massive government supports, which don’t exist in North Carolina or elsewhere in the U.S. What’s more, the Biden administration’s new rules for the Clean Electricity Tax Credit make it extremely unlikely that wood pellets could qualify.
Still, many countries count burning wood pellets as a positive on their climate ledgers, and the United Kingdom heavily subsidizes the fuel source. While those incentives are set to expire in 2027, the industry is campaigning heavily to get them renewed.
Often overlooked in the climate accounting debate is the experience of the disproportionately low-income communities of color in the Southeast, where pellet mills are invariably located. From the get-go, neighbors have sought to alleviate dust and noise from the mills.
Dr. Ruby Bell, an organizer with the Dogwood Alliance. Credit: Elizabeth Ouzts
Enviva’s first facility in North Carolina, in Ahoskie in Hertford County, began operating in 2011, and regulators required the company to control its dust soon thereafter.
“That pellet mill is a right smack dab in the middle of town,” said Hillaker. “So, it makes sense that they would have had some pretty significant dust issues immediately.”
Success in other communities has been more elusive.
A former professor at the University of Mt. Olive, Dr. Ruby Bell is an organizer with the nonprofit Dogwood Alliance in Faison. She lives far enough from the Sampson County mill that she doesn’t notice many impacts at her own home. Not so when she’s closer to the facility.
“When I first started this position,” Bell said, “I decided to go visit the people who live across the way. I sat outside for 20 minutes… When I left, I was sniffing. My nose was running. I had mucus beginning to form in my throat.”
Tiny air particulates invisible to the human eye are thought to be the most insidious to human health because they can burrow deep into the lungs and bloodstream. But large dust particles can cause the issues Bell described, because they tend to get trapped in the upper respiratory tract.
They can also exacerbate symptoms in people with pre-existing respiratory conditions. More than 100 households in the 300-person survey by Dogwood, Southern Environmental Law Center, and others, reported having asthma. Over half said they simply avoided outdoor activities like grilling and gardening to avoid the dust.
That’s part of why organizers want state regulators to require dust management plans at Enviva’s mills in Northampton, Richmond, and Sampson counties – not just the one in Ahoskie.
‘Better than nothing’
To be sure, the plan wouldn’t address every concern with the Faison facility. Neighbors complain about the noise from the mill’s 24-7 operations. They also blanch at the constant truck traffic, from the delivery of downed trees to the mill to the transport of the finished pellets some 80 miles south to the Port of Wilmington.
“This road out here was built as one of those farm-to-market roads,” Thornton said during the visit at her home, surrounded by farmland. “It wasn’t built for trucks, and they’ve torn it up I don’t know how many times.”
Activists are pressing Enviva to address all of their complaints voluntarily, saying that in addition to controlling its dust, the company should adopt best practices for incoming and outgoing trucks and cease operations between 10 at night and seven in the morning.
Yet even without these extra steps, the dust plan would make a measurable difference, community members believe. The Ahoskie plan, for instance, requires Enviva to apply water to “minimize fugitive dust emissions from any ground surfaces” when dust is observed or conditions are dry, among other measures. It also calls for grass berms, which could mitigate noise.
“The plan is better than nothing,” said Hillaker. “There’s better ability for [the state] to act if the plan itself is violated.”
But convincing North Carolina regulators to mandate the dust plans has been a slog. State rules say a plan is required if regulators can verify two dust complaints in a 12-month period. But that substantiation is far from simple.
“Trained Division of Air Quality inspectors visit the site and determine whether off-site dust is present,” Shawn Taylor, a division spokesperson, said over email. “If so, they attempt to determine the source of the dust by physically inspecting the dust, reviewing weather and wind data, reviewing operating schedules and air quality records of nearby facilities, and using other methods.”
Dating back two years, Bell has submitted grievances on behalf of neighbors in Faison that have yet to be confirmed. And while scientists from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill installed and collected air quality monitors at Thornton’s home and that of others, their research is ongoing and separate from the state’s process for verifying dust complaints.
“Fugitive wood dust usually consists of larger particles that are less likely to be detectable with these monitors, so physical inspection is used,” Taylor said. “Even if monitors detect dust, they cannot determine the source of the dust, so our investigation would need to rely on additional data to make this determination.”
A jar of wood pellets. Credit: Courtesy of Ruby Bell
Still, after years of little to no headway, organizers finally saw some progress last year. Regulators verified two complaints at the Enviva facility at the Port of Wilmington and will now require the company to enact a dust management plan.
“The details of that plan are still being developed by DAQ and Enviva,” Taylor said, “and will be implemented later this year.”
The success at the port has given a jolt of hope to organizers and pellet mill neighbors who feel they aren’t being heard.
“It’s hard to get them moving sometimes,” Bell said. With some justification, many in the community believe “it doesn’t matter what we say,” she said.
In Thornton’s eyes, the battle against wood pellets is all too typical of the way the country approaches environmental regulation.
“We’re not proactive to make sure what we’re doing is right,” she said. “We say ‘oh, this is new, this is good, we’re going to do a whole bunch of it,’ and after we get done, somebody comes along and says I don’t believe we should have done that.”
She added, “that’s true with a lot of things we’ve done in this country. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you ought to.”
HIGH POINT, N.C. – Thomas Built Buses, a leading manufacturer of school buses in North America, today announced the launch of the second-generation Saf-T-Liner C2 Jouley battery-electric school bus. As the second iteration of its flagship electric school bus, originally introduced in 2017, the Jouley incorporates customer-driven improvements and technological advancements to create a product that excels in efficiency, performance and serviceability.
Enhanced efficiency with the Accelera 14Xe eAxle
At the core of the second-generation Jouley is the 14Xe eAxle from Accelera by Cummins, the zero-emissions brand of Cummins Inc. This next-generation traction technology is backed by 25 years and one billion miles of real-world transportation experience. A compact, all-in-one power source, the 14Xe eAxle integrates the motor, two-speed transmission, disc brakes and rear-drive gear set into one package mounted on the rear axle. It removes the need for a traditional driveshaft, making the drivetrain lighter, more efficient and reducing complexity. This design, coupled with Accelera’s ELFA inverter, delivers power directly to the wheels, enhancing acceleration and torque for a smoother ride.
Optimized performance with the Accelera eAxle and the Proterra 800V Battery
The second-generation Jouley is equipped with an 800-volt Proterra battery system that improves startability, gradeability and acceleration. The higher voltage along with the eAxle makes it ideal for diverse terrains, including hills and mountains. This upgrade also supports the integration of additional components like air conditioning, heaters and other essential features without compromising performance.
Streamlined serviceability
The streamlined design of the eAxle simplifies maintenance by reducing the number of moving parts and centralizing major components, which leads to lower service costs and improved uptime for school districts.
The second-generation Jouley electric school bus also features a new 12-by-12-inch toe board floor access panel that allows direct access to high-voltage junction box connectors without removing the battery packs. Additionally, the body heating loop surge tank has been relocated to the left side of the bus, providing even easier access and further simplifying maintenance tasks. These enhancements are designed to streamline diagnostics and repairs, enabling technicians to work more efficiently and get buses back on the road even faster.
Continuing the legacy of electric school bus innovation
The second-generation Jouley offers a new 219-inch wheelbase, a highly requested feature by customers that accommodates up to 60 passengers. Accelera’s eAxle enables shorter wheelbase architectures, significantly improving the overall maneuverability of the vehicle and making the bus ideal for navigating tight spaces and fitting into service bays.
The new liquid-crystal display (LCD) digital dash aligns with current automotive technology, offering drivers a more advanced and intuitive interface. The LCD dash supports a wider range of visual information, including crucial diagnostics and operational data. The integration of more detailed information and animations compared to previous instrumentation makes it easier to operate the bus safely and efficiently. Future updates can be implemented through software alone, enabling Thomas Built to provide ongoing technological enhancements without hardware changes.
“We are proud to introduce the second generation of our Saf-T-Liner C2 Jouley, a product that reflects our commitment to innovation, meeting the evolving needs of our customers and driving the future of sustainable student transportation,” said T.J. Reed, president and CEO of Thomas Built Buses. “With features that enhance efficiency, performance and serviceability, the new Jouley delivers unmatched value for both current electric bus operators and new adopters who are ready to embrace cleaner, smarter solutions.”
“Partnering with Thomas Built Buses to deliver the next-generation eAxle technology for the Jouley is an exciting step to decarbonize commercial transportation,” said Brian Wilson, general manager of eMobility for Accelera. “The 14Xe eAxle elevates expectations for performance, efficiency and serviceability, setting a new standard for the industry. School buses are an ideal application for electrification, and we are excited about the positive impact this innovation will have on communities and the environment.”
Production of the second-generation Jouley in the 219-inch wheelbase has already begun. Additional wheelbase options will be coming in 2025.
As the Electric Bus Authority, Thomas Built Buses continues to expand and optimize its lineup and service offerings, including infrastructure consulting. Learn more about the second generation of the Jouley electric school bus.
About Thomas Built Buses:
Founded in 1916, Thomas Built Buses is a leading manufacturer of school buses in North America. Since the first Thomas Built bus rolled off the assembly line, the company has been committed to delivering the smartest and most innovative buses in North America. Learn more at https://thomasbuiltbuses.com or at https://www.facebook.com/thomasbuiltbuses.
Thomas Built Buses, Inc., headquartered in High Point, North Carolina, is a subsidiary of Daimler Truck North America LLC, a leading provider of comprehensive products and technologies for the commercial transportation industry. The company designs, engineers, manufactures and markets medium- and heavy-duty trucks, school buses, vehicle chassis and their associated technologies and components under the Freightliner, Western Star, Thomas Built Buses, Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp and Detroit brands. Daimler Truck North America is a subsidiary of Daimler Truck, one of the world’s leading commercial vehicle manufacturers.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department released a statement saying that the gunfire came from a drug-related dispute that occurred outside the school bus on Monday. The bus was not the intended target, police added. Two students from Albemarle Middle School were injured from glass broken by the gunfire, according to the police statement.
Police arrested 21-year-old Lamarius Ramel Anthony, who is charged with carrying a concealed weapon and felony possession of cocaine.
Local security guard Eyersol Belbuel was reportedly nearby when the shooting occurred and assisted the school bus driver in safely evacuating all the students.
When a solar energy developer approached Halifax County, North Carolina, in the early 2010s about renting its former airfield in Roanoke Rapids, community leaders had a condition.
“If they were willing to lease this land for the very first solar project in the area, the county needed to get something back in return,” said Mozine Lowe from her office, which overlooks the 20 megawatt solar farm now atop the old airport. “What they got was this building.”
Of course, it’s more than a building. It’s the headquarters for the Center for Energy Education, the nonprofit Lowe has run since 2016 that works to maximize the benefits of large solar farms in rural America — one community, one school child, and one worker at a time.
Lowe, who grew up about five miles from where she now works, had graduated from Greensboro’s North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University but worked across the country, from California to Washington, D.C.
When she returned to this rural county of less than 50,000 near the Virginia border, formerly a hub of farming and textiles, she said she didn’t see a lot of change.
“The jobs were the same,” she said. “I didn’t see people making the connection between solar energy and what’s happening with the climate and the impact on rural communities, and I just wanted to try and help from that angle.”
The Center conducts educational programs for children of all ages, who come in by the busload from surrounding schools both public and private. It holds a Solar Fest every year to celebrate clean energy with community leaders, drawing hundreds.
Through collaborations with local educational institutions like community colleges, the center has also helped to train a new workforce in jobs that pay roughly twice what workers are earning at the fast-food chains off Interstate 95.
“We have trained more people than most other people around here to become solar installers,” Lowe said. “We want them to be first in line for our jobs.”
And there’s outreach to solar companies themselves in North Carolina as well as Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana, where the Center also has offices. The goal is to help them become better community partners.
The Center for Energy Education staff. Credit: Elizabeth Ouzts
Only a few ‘good players’
Geenex, the Charlotte-based developer who built the solar farm at the airport and over a dozen others in the vicinity, is still involved in the Center, and the company’s chairman also chairs the nonprofit’s board.
But Lowe and other staff at the organization say not every solar developer is committed — at least at first — to working with community leaders in Eastern North Carolina.
“Geenex is a very good partner,” said Reginald Bynum, the Center’s community outreach manager. “They’re a good player. But there are only a few of them. Other companies will say, ‘This is your ordinance? Great. This is all I have to do.’”
Some county ordinances, like that in Halifax, need to be updated, Bynum said. Many still call for a 75-foot buffer between the rows of solar panels and neighboring properties. That figure is “so 2018,” said Bynum. It should be doubled, he said.
Most solar farms are also built on private land — often bits of farmland that can help cotton growers and other farmers guarantee income. But developers usually obtain the leases first, before airing the project in public.
“That’s the backwards process of solar,” Bynum said. “They’re talking to landowners and securing that land, and then they’re coming to commissioners.”
What’s more, simply following ordinances isn’t enough, Bynum says. What’s needed is for solar developers to work with local residents to develop community benefits agreements — documents that memorialize pluses to the area, from minimizing construction impacts to providing jobs.
“It’s a 30-year commitment to the community,” he said, “because your farm’s going to be here 30 years. They’re asking for that, and they deserve that.”
Critically, say Bynum and other advocates, solar developers need to work with community leaders to provide benefits beyond tax revenue — an undeniable good, but one that isn’t “seen” by anyone except county bookkeepers.
And though a recent study from the North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association shows that solar farms today take up a fraction of a percent of the state’s farmland, the figure is a full 1% in Halifax County, and on pace to triple in the coming years, according to the Center’s research.
“From rural citizens’ standpoint, that’s a lot,” Bynum said. “You have to really understand what they’re seeing.”
A solar array amid trees and a cotton field in Halifax County, North Carolina. Credit: Elizabeth Ouzts
‘Projects have gotten bigger’
Part of what they’re seeing is the result of a simple fact: solar farms aren’t just growing more abundant in parts of rural America. They’re also much larger.
In North Carolina up until 2016, the average utility-scale solar development was 5.8 megawatts covering 35 acres of land, per the Sustainable Energy Association. After a 2017 state law made larger solar farms easier to build, the average system size increased to 13.6 megawatts and covered 115 acres of land.
“Projects have gotten bigger,” said Carson Harkrader, the CEO of Durham-based Carolina Solar Energy, who appeared on a recent clean energy panel with Bynum. “As they’ve gotten bigger, people freak out a little bit.”
And while many folks’ worries about the visual impact of solar panels can be mollified — with tree buffers, setbacks, and information about the safety of the structures — some are easy targets for opponents.
“The opposition has become much, much, more organized. There are national groups, funded by the oil and gas industry,” Harkrader said. “With this opposition that is more organized and has more resources, it’s much harder.”
In some cases, opponents may fill a vacuum left by solar companies who lined up projects before the pandemic and have only recently begun to start construction.
That’s what happens, said Bynum, “when you miss steps in keeping citizens updated with the project — particularly when you started talking about it five years before. Commissioners change, a lot of tribal knowledge evaporates.”
More success stories?
And sometimes, it only takes one or two community members to force the issue with local politicians. Both neighboring Northampton and Halifax counties have passed moratoriums on new solar farms recently. Halifax acted after just a few people appeared at their meeting, concerned about the loss of trees.
Having talked with county commissioners, staff at the Center are hopeful the moratorium will end quickly as planned, after the county has updated its ordinance. But the “pause” on solar farms is an example of the constant game of whack-a-mole solar developers and their advocates must play.
Lowe says that’s why the Center is so vital.
“What makes us unique is that our work is mainly community engagement,” she said. “Our stance is to be neutral, and to provide factual information. I think we need to tell more success stories.”
This article was originally published by Floodlight.
A small town in North Carolina has taken a bold step, filing the first climate “deception” lawsuit against an electric utility in the United States.
In a civil lawsuit, the Town Council of Carrboro accuses Duke Energy, one of the largest power companies in the United States, of orchestrating a decades-long campaign of denialism and cover up over the dangers of fossil fuel emissions. The lawsuit claims Duke’s actions stalled the transition to clean energy and exacerbated the climate crisis.
Over the past decade, similar suits have been filed by states and communities against large oil companies and — in at least one instance — a gas utility. But Carrboro, N.C., is the first municipality to ever file such a suit against an electric utility.
“We’re a very bold group,” Carrboro Mayor Barbara Foushee told Floodlight. “And we know how urgent this climate crisis is.”
Duke Energy said in a statement, “We are in the process of reviewing the complaint. Duke Energy is committed to its customers and communities and will continue working with policymakers and regulators to deliver reliable and increasingly clean energy while keeping rates as low as possible.”
The suit, filed in Orange County, North Carolina, accuses Duke Energy of intentionally spreading false information about the negative effects of fossil fuels for decades, despite knowing since the late 1960s about planet-warming properties of carbon dioxide emissions. It claims the power company funded trade organizations and climate skeptic scientists who created doubts about the greenhouse effect and obstructed policy and public action on climate change.
“Duke misled the public concerning the causes and consequences of climate change and thereby materially slowed the transition away from fossil fuels and toward renewable energy. Duke’s deception campaign served to protect its fossil fuel-based business model.” the lawsuit reads.
Between 2005 and 2023, the company reported reducing its CO2 emissions from electricity generation by 44%. But in 2023, at least 45% of the electricity Duke produced was still generated by burning coal or methane gas.
“(Duke) was one of the ringleaders behind deceiving the public and municipalities and governments about the causes and consequences of manmade climate change,” said Raleigh attorney Matthew Quinn, who is representing the town.
Carrboro is a town of about 20,000 with an annual budget of $81 million, Foushee said. Quinn, the attorney, estimates the town will incur some $60 million in costs in adapting to climate change impacts, including repairs to roads, upgrades to stormwater systems and increased heating and cooling costs.
At a press conference Wednesday, Quinn explained that expert analysts had arrived at that number based on the amount and cost of climate adaptation that Carrboro would have undertaken had it not been for Duke’s alleged deception.
“There’s a major gulf between where we should be at and where we are right now,” Quinn said at the press conference.
“Really, what this case is about is that Carrboro has been a victim of the climate deception campaign by Duke Energy, (and) as a result of Duke’s conduct, Carrboro has suffered a lot of damages and injustice,” Quinn said in an interview.
Added Danny Nowell, Carrboro Mayor pro tem: “We have paid for it. We have paid for excess road repairs. We have faced the effects of stormwater, and we will continue to pay for other expenses as we uncover them. It’s time for Carrboro to be repaid.”
Quinn’s fees are being paid by NC Warn, a climate nonprofit, Foushee said.
“People that run local governments and others and people that run corporations, they all better get heavily serious about the climate crisis,” said Jim Warren, executive director of NC Warn. “It’s already harming so many across this state.”
Bob Jarvis, a law professor at Nova Southeastern University, called such lawsuits “cute.”
“And I use that term very, you know, intentionally. These lawsuits are cute in the sense that they’re trying to shame companies … into doing better,” said Jarvis, adding that they are rarely successful. “Companies have duties to their shareholders to maximize profits. And so what these lawsuits are really saying is that companies should be punished for maximizing profit.”
“It’s interesting with this as a case directly against a utility,” said Korey Silverman-Roati, a senior fellow at the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law. “It’s a shift in perspective from companies just producing fossil fuels to those burning it.”
Although this is the first climate deception lawsuit ever filed against an electric utility, it is not the first time that electric utilities have found themselves in legal trouble for the climate warming pollution their power plants spew as they burn fossil fuels to generate electricity.
In 2004, electric companies faced federal litigation brought by eight U.S. states, New York City and several land trusts seeking to cap the companies’ CO2 emissions. The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled against the plaintiffs.
Floodlight is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates the powerful interests stalling climate action.
Charlotte, North Carolina, may soon get access to a new tool to deploy in its push toward 100% clean power: data.
The Tar Heel state’s largest city aims to power all government operations with carbon-free electricity by the end of the decade, including the city-owned Charlotte-Douglas International Airport, one of the busiest in the world.
But the hub is a big question mark for the city’s climate target. Officials don’t actually know how much energy it uses — or how much renewable energy they need to offset it — because the utility bills for the five-terminal airport are paid by dozens of individual customers, from Cinnabon to Jamba Juice to airline club lounges.
Now, after a decade of urging by Charlotte and others, Duke Energy has a proposal to change that: an eight-page plan for improved data access that has sign-off from the North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association; Public Staff, the state-sanctioned customer advocate; and Dominion Energy, which serves the northeast corner of the state.
Filed last month with regulators for approval, Duke’s proposed rules could have wide application, said Ethan Blumenthal, regulatory counsel for the North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association.
“For municipalities applying for federal grants, large customers pursuing energy efficiency, and homeowners and solar companies that are trying to right-size solar installations,” Blumenthal said, “this access to data is essential.”
Avoiding a ‘laborious process’
The Charlotte airport is a prime example of one hurdle facing local communities with climate goals. Today, getting total energy usage data for government-owned buildings with multiple meters means reaching out to individual tenants to get permission to access their accounts.
“It would be a very laborious process to do that at the airport and anywhere else we have tenants,” said Aaron Tauber, Charlotte’s sustainability analyst.
The problem extends to private building owners who aim to reduce their carbon footprints or improve efficiency but don’t have insight into their renters’ energy consumption. Honeywell, for instance, is a partner in the city’s “Power Down the Crown” initiative, whereby building managers look to reduce energy use by optimizing efficiency.
“They don’t own all of the data,” Tauber said. “They have tenants in their properties. So, they don’t have visibility to the entire building’s energy use.”
The new rule will allow a large user, from Honeywell to Charlotte, to access aggregated data for a large building with multiple tenants by request to Duke, so long as at least 15 individual accounts are involved, and none consumes more than 15% of the building’s energy use.
“Being a larger city, we do have a lot of large buildings with multiple tenants,” said Tauber. “I’m just really excited for these building owners to really — for the first time — gain an understanding of how their buildings are using energy.”
That understanding, he said, is critical for commercial properties to access a new law that allows them to borrow public money for energy efficiency upgrades and pay it back on their property tax bills.
“Being able to unlock a financing mechanism based on this data will really go a long way for the city to be able to meet our strategic energy action goal of being a low-carbon community,” said Tauber.
Not just for big buildings
The data access rule also applies to a census block, zip code, or other area with at least 15 accounts, which will help local governments meet community-wide climate goals.
“You can use the aggregated data to make good decisions for program design, and where you might want to target,” said Ann Livingston, senior executive and director of programs with the Southeast Sustainability Directors Network. “You can assess: is this particular block or neighborhood really using a lot more energy per house per square foot than others?”
Durham County, for instance, together with neighboring Granville and Orange counties, has a $1.5 million federal grant to help low-income homeowners cut their energy use through weatherization and other upgrades.
“We want to focus in areas where there’s a higher energy use or higher energy burden,” said Tobin Freid, the county’s sustainability manager. “We’d like information at a more granular level than just the county.”
If the new Duke rule is approved, it will also help county officials better tailor the program to individual households and assess its impacts. The proposal would ease the approval process for allowing third-party access to data and ensure that at least two years of prior energy use is included.
“For every home that we work on, we would need historic data to see: what was your energy use before?” Freid said.
Both the aggregated data and third-party access provisions will also be critical for federal programs like Solar for All, aimed at deploying rooftop solar on low-income households.
“Often, those federal funding opportunities require you to assess and report on energy impact,” said Livingston. “Solar for All will be a very clear example of this, where you need to report energy savings for individual participants.”
Growing interest in local impact
Apart from the sustainability goals, government officials also have a commitment to manage public dollars efficiently, Livingston noted. That’s especially pertinent for large energy users like Durham County, who may pay a higher “demand charge” for a single 30-minute spike in energy use. Large customers with net-metered solar power also pay more during times of peak demand.
The proposed rules will help solve these challenges by allowing third parties access to machine-readable, easily analyzed data for customers of all sizes. The format would essentially meet national “Green Button” standards, one familiar to the many companies around the country dedicated to managing building energy performance.
The Green Button initiative, a project of the U.S. Department of Energy that originated in Canada, has been around for over a decade – about as long as the Sustainable Energy Association has been advocating for improved customer data access, along with counties like Durham.
But the issue seems to have gained new steam in recent months, as local governments look to take advantage of new federal grants and laws aimed at reducing climate pollution.
What’s more, Blumenthal said, Duke has pledged to implement the rules within 18 months of their approval and help expedite any data requests in the interim.
“There is a commitment to doing everything they can, essentially, to provide data for federal funding purposes up until [the proposal] is fully implemented,” Blumenthal said. “A commitment to try to bridge the gap.”
Asked what prompted the agreement with Blumenthal’s group and others after all this time, Duke spokesperson Logan Stewart said over email:
“A lot has changed in the last decade from a technology, cybersecurity, and customer engagement perspective that made this stipulation possible. Duke Energy is always looking for ways to collaborate with stakeholders to achieve outcomes that benefit customers.”
Mark Fleming has a prediction for those terrified about the impact of a second Trump administration on the clean energy transition: “It’s going to work out better than folks think.”
Fleming is head of Conservatives for Clean Energy, a Raleigh-based nonprofit that brings together lobbyists, consultants, and politicians on the right who support clean energy. The group formed a decade ago, not long before Trump’s first term began, and is now active in six Southeast states. On Tuesday, together with the Chambers for Innovation and Clean Energy, it held its biennial luncheon in downtown Raleigh.
Coming just two weeks after an election most advocates see as a major setback for federal clean energy policy, the Raleigh event was not unlike past affairs, with congenial vibes, a half dozen awards to politicians and businesses, and presentation from leading Republican consultants assessing the political salience of clean energy.
“It was an election about the economy and immigration,” explained Paul Shumaker, one such pollster and a fixture at these gatherings. “Clean energy is never going to be the issue.”
Trump and his hostile, mostly fact-free rants on the campaign trail about wind energy and the climate crisis got little mention during the formal presentations. Side conversations showed conservatives seemed relatively unconcerned about the future president’s tirades and threats.
“Governing is different than campaigning,” Fleming said.
He and others believe much of Trump’s rhetoric was tossed as red meat to his base of supporters and won’t get meaningful follow-through. On technologies such as offshore wind — which the incoming president frequently lambasts — perhaps the administration and even the man himself can be convinced of its economic benefits, attendees suggested.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican who supports offshore wind in the commonwealth, “will be at the top of the list of conservative policy makers in terms of encouraging the Trump administration to look at the positives on offshore wind,” Fleming said. “It makes long term economic sense, but there’s going to be some education there.”
Nine new projects announced in North Carolina the year after the measure’s passage, from lithium processing to vehicle-charging equipment plants, will spur tens of thousands of jobs and add $10 billion to the state’s GDP, the clean economy group E2 found.
Such data should be fodder for members of Congress like Sen. Thom Tillis, North Carolina’s senior U.S. senator and a Republican, to fight to keep most of the Inflation Reduction Act’s provisions.
“He has been such a thoughtful leader on energy issues,” Fleming said of Tillis. “He’s going to be a key decision maker in the U.S. Senate on these clean energy issues moving forward.”
‘We won’t agree on everything’
Jason Saine, a Lincoln County Republican who served more than a dozen years in the North Carolina House and now works as a lobbyist, was among the luncheon’s awardees. He says Trump’s rhetoric is just part of politics.
“Good science and good facts will rule the day, but in the meantime, we’ll suffer through a lot of rhetoric,” he said.
Like some of his conservative colleagues who focus on federal policy, Fleming hopes the closely divided Congress will have new reason to enact reforms to the permitting process that will speed approval of clean energy as well as fossil fuel projects.
And though he’s confident that much of the Inflation Reduction Act will survive, Fleming believes Congress will trim it — a “scalpel rather than a sledgehammer” approach.
Saine agrees. “It can always be recreated in a different format and voted on again,” he said. “What’s dead today is never dead tomorrow.”
One item in the climate law that’s ripe for repeal is the $7,500 tax credit for electric vehicles, Fleming said. That incentive is spurring plenty of economic development in rural areas in the form of EV and battery factories, but it’s perceived as benefiting only urban folk.
“The administration will want wins,” Fleming insisted. “We won’t agree on everything. But I think we’ll have opportunities to work together to move the economy forward and move the clean energy cause forward in D.C.”
No matter what, most of the luncheon attendees remained focused on incremental reforms in North Carolina — where the power dynamics are largely unchanged after Nov. 5. Trump won the state, but Democrat Josh Stein trounced a scandal-plagued Republican to win the governor’s race. The GOP continues to control a heavily gerrymandered legislature and is just one vote shy of a veto-proof majority in the House.
Still, as “Trump II” approaches, Fleming acknowledged Conservatives for Clean Energy has an important role to play.
“It’s going to be better than folks think,” he repeated. “But the onus will be on all of us to make it happen. Now, groups like ours are more needed than ever. That thought leadership on these issues will be on the right. It’s not going to be from our friends on the left.”
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When regulators allowed Duke Energy to lower bill credits to homes with rooftop solar, critics warned the solar industry would suffer a major loss.
A year after the new rates took effect, available data show those detractors had a point, with new household solar connections in Duke territory on pace to drop about 40% compared to 2023.
Yet the reason for the dip is multifaceted — ranging from steep interest rates to the loss of a popular rebate program — and seems to have had little impact on longtime installers in the state.
Indeed, many say they’re optimistic about the future of home solar, partly because of new Duke incentives for home batteries that are already having an impact. Their push now is to extend and expand them.
“We believe this is a strong way forward to support our utility grid and the ability of homeowners to produce and use their own energy,” said Brandon Pendry, communications specialist at Southern Energy Management, an installer based in Raleigh.
A complex truce on net metering
Most homes that go solar stay connected to the utility grid, drawing electricity at night and providing surplus power on sunny days. The question is what bargain these solar owners strike with their utility for this give and take, known as net metering.
The arrangement for Duke’s North Carolina customers was long straightforward: they bought the electrons they needed at the retail rate and sold excess ones back at the same rate. Like all customers, they faced a minimum bill charge for the company’s fixed grid costs, such as poles and wires.
But this approach has downsides for a for-profit utility like Duke, whose business model depends on buying or producing electrons at one cost and selling them for a higher one. Like many utilities around the country, Duke had sought for years to impose more costs on solar customers and credit them less for their contributions to the grid.
A major campaign contributor in the state legislature with an army of lobbyists, Duke helped write and pass two laws, one in 2017 and another in 2021, requiring an end to retail net metering by 2027.
Seeking to avoid the bruising battles over net metering seen in California and other states, some North Carolina solar installers and clean energy advocacy nonprofits sought – and achieved – compromise with Duke instead.
Under the deal, new solar customers can choose a “time of use” rate, in which they’re rewarded more for electrons they add to the grid, and charged more for those they subtract, during times of heavy demand. Alternatively, until the start of 2027, customers can select a “bridge rate,” in which they get a one-to-one exchange for electrons taken from and given to the grid.
While sophisticated customers might conceivably squeeze out substantial benefits of solar with the time-of-use rates, installers pushed the bridge rate for its simplicity and certainty, which they deem nearly as good as the old net metering rate.
“All in all, I think residential solar installers are feeling excited about where the industry is going right now,” said Matt Abele, the executive director of the North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association.
Industry cross currents
But the dip in sales since the complex truce took effect is undeniable. Abele’s group tracked a huge spike in solar projects registered with state regulators in September 2023, just before the new net metering rates were implemented, followed by a steep drop off that bottomed out last December.
Different metrics supplied by Duke — solar connections rather than registrations — show new solar rooftop customers on pace to number about 5,300 in 2024, compared to about 9,100 in 2023 and 10,200 in 2022. The number also falls well short of Duke’s own predictions for new residential solar customers for this year of 11,400.
Yet the installers contacted for this article were largely unfazed. Reached before the devastation of Hurricane Helene, Clary Franko, chief operating officer at Asheville’s Sugar Hollow Solar, predicted sales this year would be lower than last, but not by a huge amount. “Hooray for the bridge rate!” she said.
Executives at Yes Solar Solutions, based in Cary, agreed. “In residential, the net metering bridge rate has kind of kept things intact,” said Stew Miller, president of the company. “I think everybody's doing as well as to be expected.”
And Pendry at Southern Energy Management said his company had more potential customers this year than the year before.
“Looking back at our previous 12-month period, we saw high interest from homeowners who wanted to lock into the legacy net metering program,” he said. “Moving into this last 12-month period, we have seen slightly more interest in solar overall.”
The disconnect between these companies’ optimism and the decline in sales may reflect that fewer installers are doing business now in North Carolina, with 40 companies registering new systems in the state in August versus 57 last September, according to the North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association.
Indeed, established rooftop solar companies say part of their business model now includes cleaning up after so-called bad actors, who installed panels incorrectly or incompletely during the heady days of the early 2020’s.
“There were so many systems that were put in in our area that we’re having to redo,” said Dave Hollister, president of Asheville-based Sundance Solar Systems. “It's been a significant problem in our community.”
Still, a spokesperson for EnergySage, a marketplace that helps connect vetted solar companies with customers, says the company hasn't seen any decrease in the number of active vetted installers working in the state.
It’s also true that the most successful companies are used to the “solar coaster,” the ebb and flow of sales based on policies as well as market conditions. Installations rose sharply immediately after the pandemic, when Duke was still offering rebates, the old net metering rates were in effect, and interest rates were low. That all changed.
“As usual, we have all these cross currents in the industry,” said Hollister. “I can say that probably the biggest chilling effect was the interest rate hikes.”
‘An incredible program’
There’s another key factor fueling hope among solar installers: Power Pair, a battery incentive program implemented this spring that was the final puzzle piece in the net metering compromise with Duke.
For adding a home battery, Duke customers can get a rebate on both it and their solar array. Combined with a 30% federal tax credit, the cash back could cut the cost of an average $40,500 system down to less than $20,000.
Power Pair participants subscribed to the simpler bridge rate allow Duke to remotely manage their battery and earn an extra $37 a month on average. Enrollees in the more complicated time-of-use rate plan, on the other hand, don’t get monthly incentives but do retain full control of their systems.
Installers say the incentive is a huge hit, with the great majority of their customers now choosing the bridge rate and buying a battery along with solar panels.
“It’s gotten us to a place where we always thought we would be,” said Miller of Yes Solar, “in that many, if not most, solar systems now include some element of storage.”
The battery inducement drove interest in solar overall, said Bryce Bruncati, director of residential sales with 8M Solar. A whopping 95% of its customers are now installing batteries with their solar systems, as opposed to about a quarter before. “The Power Pair program has been a big success,” he said.
The uptick in batteries occurred statewide, according to EnergySage. Sixty-nine percent of North Carolina homeowners who went solar with EnergySage in the third quarter of 2024 included battery storage, compared to just 8% in the same period in 2023.
Still, Power Pair is just a pilot program, set to end when each Duke utility reaches a cap of 30,000 kilowatts. Duke reports about 2,000 participants as of early September. According to the company’s website, the utility serving the Asheville area and the eastern part of the state is 36% full, and the one serving central North Carolina is 21% full.
For the solar industry and its advocates, then, the priorities looking forward are several. Extend Power Pair, and count on market forces to make batteries and rooftop solar economically attractive even when the bridge rate expires in 2027. At the same time, expand the incentives to include small businesses and nonprofits, currently under new net metering rates.
“Power Pair has been an incredible program,” said Sugar Hollow’s Franko. Extending it to the commercial sector would make a huge difference, she said, “opening the door for new types of industries that probably aren't thinking about this because sustainability isn't their goal, but reliability would be.”
Correction: Duke Energy's Power Pair pilot program was 36% full for the utility serving the Asheville area and 21% full for the utility serving central North Carolina. An earlier version of this story included incorrect numbers.
North Carolina regulators on Friday accepted Duke Energy’s controversial plan for curbing carbon pollution, a blueprint that ramps up renewable energy and ratchets down coal power but also includes 9 gigawatts of new plants that burn natural gas.
The biennial plan is mandated under a 2021 state law, which requires Duke to zero out its climate-warming emissions by midcentury and cut them 70% by the end of the decade.
The timing of the order from the North Carolina Utilities Commission, two months ahead of schedule, caught many advocates by surprise. But its content did not: it hewed closely to a settlement deal Duke reached this summer with a trade group for the renewable energy industry; Walmart; and Public Staff, the state-sanctioned ratepayer advocate.
But critics were dismayed by regulators’ abdication of the 2030 deadline. The ruling said Duke no longer needed a plan to make the reductions by decade’s end, instead telling it to “pursue ‘all reasonable steps’ to achieve the [70%] target by the earliest possible date.”
“Major step back on climate,” Maggie Shober, research director at the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy,” wrote on X, the website formerly known as Twitter, adding, “for those that say it couldn’t be done, Duke had a 67% reduction by 2030 in its 2020 [long-range plan.] The utility industry generally, and Duke in particular, has had opportunity after opportunity to do better. They chose not to, and here we are.”
“Duke’s plan isn’t even compliant with the latest EPA regulations related to greenhouse gas pollution,” David Rogers, deputy director of the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign, said in a statement.
Concerns about the Biden-Harris rules, along with doubt that the natural gas plants could be converted to burn carbon-free hydrogen, appeared not to persuade regulators.
“The Commission acknowledges that there are uncertainties and risks associated with new natural gas-fired generation resources, but this is true of all resources,” the panel wrote.
On the contrary, regulators believe Duke can make use of gas plants after the state’s 2050 zero-carbon deadline, even if clean hydrogen doesn’t pan out.
“Accordingly,” the panel said, “the Commission determines that a 35-year anticipated useful life of new natural gas-fired generation and its assumed capital costs are reasonable for planning purposes.”
The greenlight for the gas infrastructure is not absolute, commissioners emphasized in their order, since Duke still must obtain a separate permit for the facilities. But advocates still bemoaned the anticipated impact on customers.
“This order leaves the door open for Duke Energy to stall on carbon compliance in order to develop additional resources, like natural gas, that largely benefit their shareholders over ratepayers,” Matt Abele, the executive director of the North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association, said via text message.
‘Positive step’ for offshore wind
Still, Abele and other advocates acknowledged the plan’s upsides, including its increase in renewables like solar and batteries. The 2022 plan limited those resources to about 1 gigawatt per year; this year’s version increases the short-term annual addition to about 1.7 gigawatts.
Regulators’ decision to bless 2.4 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2034 and call for Duke to complete an “Acquisition Request for Information” by next summer also drew measured praise.
“This order is an overall positive step for offshore wind,” Karly Lohan, North Carolina program manager for the Southeastern Wind Coalition, said in an email, adding, “we still need to see Duke move with urgency and administer the [request for information] as soon as possible.”
With regulators required to approve a new carbon-reduction plan for Duke every two years, advocates are already looking ahead to next year, when the process begins anew.
“Proceedings in 2025 present another chance to get North Carolina back on track to achieving the carbon reduction goals as directed by state law,” Will Scott, Environmental Defense Fund’s director of Southeast climate and clean energy, said in a statement.
“By accelerating offshore wind and solar, the Commission could still set a course for meaningful emissions reductions from the power sector that are fueling the effects of climate change, including dangerous and expensive storms like Hurricane Helene.”
And like Scott, David Neal, senior attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center, isn’t giving up on the state’s 2030 carbon-reduction deadline, the commission’s latest order notwithstanding.
“We’ll continue to push for the clean energy future that North Carolinians deserve and that state law and federal carbon pollution limits mandate,” he said in a statement.
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