Energy selling options

Sell your own renewable energy

You may be eligible to sell us electricity at our standard or negotiated rates and conditions if you own qualifying generation such as wind, solar, or hydroelectric that is interconnected directly to the Duke Energy electric grid. Unless otherwise negotiated, under these options for the purchase of qualifying energy, you as the generator owner would maintain all Renewable Energy Credits associated with the output.

All generators that intend to sell energy to Duke Energy are fully responsible for adhering to all utility requirements, applicable federal rules and regulations, state and local ordinances and regulations adopted by the North Carolina Utilities Commission (the governing bodies of regulated utilities in North Carolina). This website does not establish a legal or binding arrangement; it is intended solely to provide access to general information about potential options that may be available through Duke Energy. Generators are responsible for consulting with appropriate legal and energy professionals in determining if generation ownership is the right choice and for assistance in navigating applicable requirements and procedures.

Read more: Sell All / Purchased Power

Offset your bill with renewable energy

Net metering is a special metering and billing agreement between utilities and their customers that facilitates the connection of small, renewable energy-generating systems to the power grid. Our net metering program encourages small-scale renewable energy systems, ensures that customers always have a reliable source of energy from the grid during times when their renewable generators are not producing energy, and provides substantial benefits to the electric power-generating system, the economy and the environment.

When a customer chooses net metering, we replace the meter at the customer’s home with a bidirectional meter that measures two-way flow of electricity. Net metering customers are charged only for the “net” power that they consume from the electricity service provider that has accumulated over a designated period or, if their renewable energy-generating systems make more electricity than is consumed, they may be credited or paid for the excess electricity contributed to the grid over that same period.

It has been shown that customers with net metering systems tend to be much more aware of their energy consumption, so they usually consume less energy than the average retail customer. Net metering is also a way to increase the energy in the power grid to keep up with increases in demand during peak power-use times.

Read more: Net Metering

How to choose between offsetting my bill and selling my power

There are several factors to consider when determining which rate schedule and net metering arrangement is best for you. Your generator’s output, like your electrical consumption, will likely vary throughout the year. If your generated output is consistently greater than your consumption, a “sell-all” arrangement may be more viable than a net-metering option. While net metering should lessen your bill, it will not eliminate it entirely. It is advisable to look into the ways and times that you are using electricity and compare this to your generator’s output. This effort may also help you find additional ways to conserve energy.

Parallel generation

Parallel generation refers to the generation of power directly by consumers – institutions like hospitals, manufacturers or other large organizations – instead of purchasing it from an electric utility. Under our parallel generation program, Duke Energy will provide service to the customer’s net load (total load less customer generation), provide standby service to serve the customer’s total load when the generation is not able to operate, and purchase any excess energy from the customer when the customer’s generation output exceeds the customer’s load.

Finding an Installer

While we don’t endorse specific products or companies for your generation project, we can recommend the following online resources to find providers who can help you start generating renewable energy.

• North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners
• American Wind Energy Association
• North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Center
• Florida Solar Energy Center

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s PV Watts calculator estimates costs of photovoltaic systems by location.

• National Renewable Energy Laboratory: PV Watts Calculator

Interconnection Overview

Interconnection is the process of obtaining permission to physically connect a generator to the electric grid, whether on the customer side of the meter, or on the utility side of the meter. Getting permission to interconnect with Duke Energy’s grid is relatively easy, but there are  several important steps the customer must follow to ensure that it is done properly and safely. Please note the interconnection process does not constitute an agreement to sell power or net meter.

Contact information

Mailing Address:
Duke Energy Progress
Attention: Customer Owned Generation – Mail Code ST14Q
P.O. Box 1010
Charlotte, NC 28201

Email: CustomerOwnedGeneration@duke-energy.com
Phone: 866.233.2290

Overnight Mailing Address:
Duke Energy Progress
Attention: Customer Owned Generation – Mail Code ST14Q
400 South Tryon Street Charlotte, NC 28202

We recommend that customers become familiar with interconnection procedures before starting a project. We also recommend for projects larger than 20 kW that customers become familiar with Duke Energy’s Method Of Service Guidelines.

Methods of Service Guidelines

Interconnection of all types of distributed energy resources (DER) has the potential for significant impacts to the generation, transmission and distribution system used to deliver reliable and high quality electrical energy to Duke Energy customers. Distributed energy resources come in many “shapes and sizes,” and their attributes lend themselves to interconnection to different parts of the Duke Energy system based on those attributes. By guiding very large generating facilities directly to the transmission system, and smaller facilities to the distribution system closer to where energy is ultimately consumed, Duke Energy Carolinas’ and Duke Energy Progress’ DER Method Of Service Guidelines can assure effective and sustainable methods of interconnection of distributed generating facilities while maintaining safe, reliable and economical service to all classes of customers, including distributed generators.

The Carolinas continue to be one of the most unique and active areas of the country for installation of distributed energy resources, large and small, and as of the summer of 2017, we are seeing record levels of interconnections and projects being added to the interconnection queue. Duke Energy Carolinas and Duke Energy Progress created an implementation matrix for its DER Method Of Service Guidelines to ensure proper treatment of interconnection project studies while beginning to implement the Method Of Service Guidelines in fall 2017.

For Transmission Interconnection or if wheeling power, please see the OATT interconnection information.