Certainly the poem here by John Roedel speaks to many of us, in particular the lost art of kindness.
Renewable Energy
North Carolina needs more certainty before committing to an expensive new gas plant
Despite massive uncertainty across the economy, Duke Energy is plowing ahead with its plan to build new fossil gas-fired power plants to serve data center, manufacturing, and other large customer load that may not even show up. Duke has asked the NC Utilities Commission for permission to build a combined-cycle (CC) gas plant in Person County, North Carolina, at the site of Duke’s Roxboro coal plant.
SACE has argued against the need for this gas power plant in the Certificate of Public Need and Necessity (CPCN) docket, submitting testimony to the Commission on Monday, June 9, 2025. Here’s a summary of that testimony (prepared by Synapse Energy Economics, Inc.), which explains what this all means for Duke’s billpayers, and how Duke can make changes within its control to protect customers and reduce pollution. These recommendations include:
- Not approving this new gas power plant because the risks that it will increase bills are too high. Instead, Duke should improve the processes that are holding back lower-cost renewables and storage, then use renewables and storage to meet new load.
- Instead of approving this specific gas plant, the Commission should order Duke to use an all-source procurement process to determine a portfolio of flexible assets that can meet the utility’s needs based on real-world costs.
- In the event the Commission approves this gas plant, it should protect customers from high bills due to volatile gas prices by instituting a fuel cost sharing mechanism for the fuel costs spent to run this plant.
Duke Doesn’t Need this Risky Gas Power Plant
Duke’s claim that it needs this fossil gas power plant is based on outdated analysis. In this CPCN docket, Duke relies on its 2023 Carbon Plan Integrated Resource Plan (CPIRP) modeling and the CPIRP supplemental update and analysis filed in January 2024. The world has changed dramatically since then, and it is important that the Commission review the latest information before approving expenditures that will impact customer bills for decades.
Duke’s load forecast – once based on steady, predictable growth – is now subject to significant uncertainty as 1) data center developers look around the country for the best deal and the fastest interconnection to the grid and 2) manufacturers announce projects and then pull back as political uncertainty changes the economics of those projects. Under Duke’s current rate structure, prospective companies and site developers do not need to commit much money to become part of Duke’s load forecast. They have very little “skin in the game,” and Duke currently does not have policies in place to change this. If the Commission allows Duke to build an expensive fossil gas plant for load that doesn’t materialize, Duke’s remaining customers will be on the hook to pay for it.
Duke’s own load forecast updates since 2023 show that there are wild swings in its predictions. In the Spring of 2023, Duke anticipated 8 new large load projects during its 10-year planning forecast period, requiring an average of 169 MW each. Then for Fall 2023 (the supplemental update filed in January 2024), Duke anticipated 35 projects requiring an average of 111 MW each. In Summer 2024, Duke changed its forecast again, projecting 39 projects requiring an average of only 103 MW. And in May 2025, Duke filed an update showing a reduction in the number of projects back down to 35 but a dramatic increase in average need – back up to 169 MW. Duke’s forecasts will continue to show swings up and down – both in the number of projects and megawatts – until Duke has policies in place that require more commitment from the companies that knock on its door requesting service. Duke also has not published information regarding the location of these loads – the latest forecast applies to all of Duke Energy in both North and South Carolina.
It is also important to know that that this gas plant isn’t needed to meet growing load from existing customers or to replace retiring coal plants (according to Duke’s own testimony). This gas plant is being justified by new manufacturing and data centers claiming they will be operating somewhere in Duke Energy Progress or Duke Energy Carolinas territory in North or South Carolina.
Even if the load shows up, this plant won’t be needed for long
Even Duke admits that it doesn’t “need” this fossil gas power plant for very long. These kinds of power plants, combined-cycle plants, are typically used about 80% of the time, i.e. they are “baseload” power plants. But even absent federal carbon regulations, Duke expects this power plant’s usage to decline significantly throughout its 35-year lifetime (from 80% in 2030 decreasing to 46% by 2040 and only 13% by 2050 onwards). As cheaper renewables and storage with zero fuel costs are brought online, they will displace this plant. Duke is proposing to build a giant power plant that will very quickly run less and less – but Duke’s customers will continue to pay for it until 2065—15 years past a state law requiring Duke’s generation fleet to be carbon neutral. This represents a significant change in how power plants are built and run, and this is not in the best interest of Duke’s billpayers. To add insult to injury, Duke hasn’t even procured all of the equipment needed to build this plant, so the costs could skyrocket even more than they already have since last year’s carbon plan proceeding.
Renewables are flexible, would protect customers, and would reduce pollution
Duke’s model only chose a gas plant to meet this capacity need because of limits Duke imposed on the model. Duke claims it cannot interconnect renewables and storage fast enough to meet this capacity need, but the reasons it cannot interconnect those resources faster are all within Duke’s control. As Synapse recommends, Duke needs to update its processes that are holding back renewables and storage from serving customers with low-cost and low-risk resources. These processes include interconnection and transmission planning.
SACE has been advocating for improvements to these processes for years, and Duke has made changes to both its interconnection process and transmission planning. Duke was one of the first utilities in the Southeast to implement cluster studies in its interconnection process, and it is in the midst of the first scenario-based transmission planning exercise in the region. But is there evidence that these updates have helped if Duke continues to limit solar and storage in its future resource modeling? Given the much quicker interconnection process recently demonstrated in Texas, this raises the question of how hard Duke is really trying to streamline renewables interconnection.
Modular, flexible resources such as wind, solar, and energy storage can be adjusted in quantity based on market conditions. As our testimony from Synapse states, “This modularity, combined with the fact that solar and wind have zero exposure to fuel price volatility once they are constructed, makes these resources particularly valuable in the face of trade tariff uncertainty.”
The bottom line is that the Commission needs a lot more certainty about load growth and costs before committing Duke’s billpayers to any type of large fossil gas power plant. We simply do not have that now.
The post North Carolina needs more certainty before committing to an expensive new gas plant appeared first on SACE | Southern Alliance for Clean Energy.
North Carolina needs more certainty before committing to an expensive new gas plant
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Wind Turbine Monitoring: Fibersail’s Predictive Maintenance Could Save Operators Billions
Weather Guard Lightning Tech
Wind Turbine Monitoring: Fibersail’s Predictive Maintenance Could Save Operators Billions
Wind turbine blade failures represent the largest ongoing expenditures facing wind energy operators, with over $5-6 billion spent annually on unplanned repairs. What if wind turbine monitoring detected blade damage before it becomes catastrophic – and could give operators a clear strategy to prevent failure?
That’s what Fibersail, based in Portugal, with offices in the Netherlands, has developed with its innovative fiber optic sensing system.
Fibersail CEO Carlos Oliveira joined us to discuss why they developed this new turbine monitoring system, what they learned along the way, and how it’s working for wind farms around the world.
You can listen to the interview here or read the highlights below.
The Future of wind turbine Monitoring
As the wind industry continues to scale and turbines grow larger, the need for advanced monitoring systems has increased as well. Fibersail’s fiber optic technology represents a fundamental shift from reactive maintenance to predictive maintenance, potentially saving the industry billions while improving the reliability of renewable energy generation.
Wind Turbine Monitoring is a Billion-Dollar Problem
Most operators face the same stark reality: traditional monitoring systems simply aren’t equipped to handle today’s massive turbine blades. As Oliveira put it, “We are building bigger and bigger blades, using old technology. It does not work.”
Where turbines once showed problems after 5-8 years of operation, today’s operators routinely see major blade issues within the first year or two of operation—sometimes even during the warranty period. This dramatic change has led to some major companies recognizing billions in losses due to blade-related issues. It’s conceivable – realistic, even – that if this trend continues, it could put the entire wind industry at risk.
Why Go Beyond Traditional SCADA Systems?
Most wind turbines today rely on SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) systems for monitoring, but they weren’t designed to detect the structural issues that lead to blade failures. Fibersail’s fundamentally different approach brings advanced sensing technology directly to the blade structure.
The company’s fiber optic technology provides real-time data about blade behavior that simply isn’t available through conventional monitoring systems.
The Shape-Sensing Revolution
Fibersail’s innovation is its unique “shape sensing” technology. The concept originated from measuring sailboat sails and has evolved to monitor wind turbine blades—essentially treating each blade as a “rooted sail.”
Here’s how it works:
- Fiber optic sensors are installed directly inside the blade, running from root to tip
- The system monitors the blade’s shape in real-time, detecting minute changes that indicate structural issues
- Dual validation occurs by monitoring both shape changes and frequency variations
- All complexity is encapsulated in a robust system that field technicians can easily install
A Pragmatic Implementation Strategy
Ideally, a sensing system that is built into the blade would be an OEM integration, but Fibersail knew that would delay market entry, possibly for years, while operators and quite possibly the industry – ran out of money and out of business.
Rather than waiting for OEM integration, then, Fibersail began working directly with wind farm operators—the ones who face the immediate financial impact of blade failures.
“The owner-operators are the ones who have the problem to solve,” Oliveira explained. And by working directly with wind farming operations, Fibersail is better able to gather real-world data to prove how the sensing system saves blades, and money. The strategy is paying off.
The company is currently collecting field data from multiple installations, with promising early damage detection and damage propagation projects underway. This real-world validation is crucial, Oliveira emphasized, saying, “Nothing is as valued as the data from the field.”

From Data to Actionable Intelligence
Perhaps most importantly, the data Fibersail provides is not just graphs and charts, but actionable intelligence. Oliveira calls the solution “elegantly simple.” When the Fibersail system detects a problem or potential damage propagation, it sends an email alert to operators, allowing them to prioritize their limited maintenance resources effectively, and to focus on turbines that need immediate attention, while allowing others to wait for scheduled maintenance.
Blade Manufacturing: Variations Happen
Unfortunately, in working with wind farm operators, Fibersail has seen firsthand the frustrating reality of blade manufacturing variability. While blades are theoretically identical when they leave the factory, manufacturing tolerances mean each blade is slightly different. Add a few years of operation, repairs, and patches, and operators end up with what Oliveira colorfully describes as “Frankenstein turbines.”
This variability makes traditional numerical models inadequate for predicting real-world blade behavior – and it highlights the need for actual sensing technology.
Overcoming Installation Challenges
One of the biggest hurdles in the industry is navigating warranty restrictions and service agreements that can prevent operators from installing aftermarket monitoring systems. Fibersail positions itself as a solution provider for the entire industry, not just for the owners and operators, but also working with manufacturers and developers.
The company aims to create three-way partnerships between Fibersail, the customer, and the OEM when possible. The entities are more likely to work together when they see how the technology benefits all parties, by reducing costs and improving reliability – always a key to navigating warranty issues.
Oliveira noted that Fibersail understands its customers need to comply with strict cybersecurity requirements, which is simply a necessity in today’s complicated energy industry.
Tailored Solutions at Scale
Fibersail offers a modular product line that can be customized based on customer equipment, site conditions, and other operationall factors, including –
- Basic load sensors for customers needing fundamental load data
- Shape sensors for early damage detection
- Hotspot sensors for comprehensive damage monitoring
- Integrated systems combining multiple sensing technologies
Because of the company’s flexible offerings, customers can start with a basic monitoring system and add complexity as needed.
Expanding into Offshore
While Fibersail is currently focused on onshore installations, the company is expanding to offshore applications, with the first Fibersail offshore installation in the Netherlands planned for this summer. In the more challenging offshore environment, the company expects that the return on investment will be even greater.
For More Information
Learn more about Fibersail’s innovative blade monitoring technology at fibersail.com or connect with the company on LinkedIn for the latest industry insights and project updates.

https://weatherguardwind.com/wind-turbine-monitoring-fibersails-predictive-maintenance-could-save-operators-billions/
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