On Christmas Eve, half a million North Carolinians were impacted by rolling blackouts during an extreme cold snap. It brought electric reliability to the forefront of public thought once again. Duke Energy said the cause of the blackouts was a combination of reliance on unavailable purchased power from neighboring utilities and under-performance from key energy resources: two coal plants and a natural gas one. The plants were impacted by weather, causing components to freeze and drastically reduce energy production. Their backup, generators in neighboring utilities, had no power to spare since they experienced the same cold snap.

Twenty-seven miles from Virginia Beach, two turbines gently spin in the coastal breeze, generating enough electricity to power 7,500 homes. Too far from shore to be seen, these turbines represent a major step in the United States’ energy transition. Hundreds of turbines spanning dozens of projects along the Atlantic Coast will join these towers soon, including Avangrid Renewables’ Kitty Hawk North Wind Project.

The Kitty Hawk Wind project invites the community to learn about offshore wind projects in general and more specifically about the Kitty Hawk Wind Project. Informational project boards will be on display with subject matter experts from the Kitty Hawk team available to answer questions from all interested attendees. A formal presentation will not be given. Folks are welcome to come anytime between 4:30-7:00pm (no registration necessary). Click the logo to view flyer with dates and locations.

On Tuesday, March 21 from 4-7 pm at Brunswick County Community College, the North Carolina Taskforce for Offshore Wind Economic Resource Strategies (NC TOWERS) presents an Offshore Wind Open House for residents and stakeholders in Brunswick County, North Carolina. This open house will provide attendees the opportunity to connect with members of the NC TOWERS taskforce and with offshore wind experts. Attendees will have the chance to talk with experts one-on-one in an informal setting.

Now the largest event of its kind by a university, the 9th Annual UNC Cleantech Summit will take place IN PERSON for two days on Monday, March 27, and Tuesday, March 28, 2023 at the Friday Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. There will be 42+ panel sessions, keynote presentations, workshops, an in-person career fair (March 28), and the return of the popular Mentor Match program.

Save the date for April 25 – 26, 2023 at the McKimmon Center, NC State University. The State Energy Conference provides actionable insight into the business of energy, connecting technical innovation, diverse resources and industry opportunity to help drive North Carolina’s regional energy economy forward with national impact. The 2023 State Energy Conference will be held in person at the McKimmon Center in Raleigh, NC. Come to network, learn best practices, hear about successful case studies, engage in important energy discussions and more.