CHARLOTTE, N.C. — As more electric vehicles make their way to the factory lines, companies like Duke Energy are heavily investing in renewable energy. Part of that work is creating plans in advance to forecast resources.
Duke Energy is calculating those resources with teams looking at load growth on their grid systems both locally and regionally. Covering six different states, Duke Energy takes trends, scarcity of materials, and government programs to update their Integrated Resource Plans every year.
Duke Energy forecast these plans in 10-year increments.
"When we have a big Amazon or UPS location announce that they'll transition to electric, that's a very big load locally," Jay Oliver, Duke Energy's managing director of grid systems integration, shared with WCNC Charlotte. "So, we're putting our plans together right now."
To prepare for the flood of EVs in the next two to five years, Duke Energy says it is creating awareness around charging during off-peak hours and focusing on where it will need to build upgrades with poles and wires.
Duke Energy also has programs available to help EV owners install technology that could reduce the load on the grid. They're taking those steps now to be ready for the future.
Contact Colin Mayfield at cmayfield@wcnc.com or follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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