SACE Among Energy Groups Challenging NC Utility Commission Cancellation of Solar Development

A group of environmental organizations, including the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, is suing to stop the North Carolina Utilities Commission from canceling a 2026 round of solar and battery storage development. The commission had halted the process without a hearing or public comment, and the groups argue this violates due process protections in the state constitution. They've asked a Wake County court to void the order and let the solar procurement move forward as originally planned.

The stakes for North Carolina electricity customers, mostly served by Duke Energy, come down to cost and reliability. Duke recently said it expects a large jump in demand from data centers and other big power users, and the company's own long-term plan counted on this solar and storage development to help meet that growth affordably. The groups challenging the order say blocking it removes a low-cost option and could push Duke toward more expensive, polluting gas plants instead, which would likely mean higher bills for customers.

For homeowners, this isn't a program you can sign up for or a rebate you'd apply to. It's a dispute over the state's broader electricity supply, the power plants and batteries that feed the grid you draw from if you're a Duke Energy customer. If the commission's order stands, it could mean higher electricity costs down the road and a grid more dependent on gas rather than solar and storage. The lawsuit is now in the hands of a state court.