The word sustainability can take on different meanings, but here at Carteret-Craven Electric Cooperative (CCEC), sustainability means delivering long-term reliable, affordable, low-carbon electricity over an electric grid that is increasingly efficient, resilient, secure, and capable of supporting the needs of our members and the communities we serve.

For decades, your needs have centered on reliable power delivered at the lowest possible cost, and while those priorities still exist today, we also know our members’ expectations related to clean energy are growing.

Our goal is to achieve all three — reliability, affordability and sustainability — in a balanced approach that makes the most of the value electricity has to offer and ensures a brighter future for those we serve. 

The brighter future vision held by CCEC and all of North Carolina’s electric cooperatives centers on two sustainability goals: a 50 percent reduction in power generation carbon emissions from 2005 levels by 2030 and net-zero power generation carbon emissions by 2050. We’re pursuing these goals in several ways including:

Creating a diverse energy portfolio

To ensure the needed amount of power is always available, CCEC, through its power supplier, has invested in a diverse energy portfolio that incorporates power from a variety of sources. Emissions-free nuclear provides more than half of the power we deliver and is a steady, low-cost source that can run almost constantly. 

Natural gas is another important piece of the energy-mix puzzle. It provides abundant power at a low cost, and with lower emissions than other fossil fuels. It also has the flexibility to be dispatched quickly at any time, day or night. 
The flexibility of natural gas is also critical for meeting the power needs at times when members are using the most power, called peak demand, and to respond immediately if capacity dips. As more renewables are added to the grid, co-ops can quickly ramp up natural gas generation and support those resources to keep the grid stable.

Investing in technology

New technology, such as battery storage, allows us to increasingly utilize renewable energy sources by making it possible to store energy when demand for it is low and use it later, when demand is high. 

In 2022, the co-op installed a cutting-edge battery storage system. CCEC is one of 10 North Carolina electric cooperatives with this type of system. Collectively, the batteries will provide co-op members with 40 MW during times of peak demand. This helps to keep wholesale power costs low and the co-op can pass those savings on to you, our members.

Developing innovative energy solutions

Many of the programs CCEC offers like Connect to Save, Time-of-Use, and Prepay, aim to make the electric grid more flexible and efficient by managing demand for power; this helps reduce carbon emissions and keeps costs down for everyone. Additionally, efforts to use electricity to power devices and processes formerly powered by fossil fuels — like automobiles  — will further cut carbon emissions and support our long-term carbon reduction goals.