![]() ![]() It shows, “what we've all been presuming and that is a reduction in vehicle traffic leading to improved air quality,” he said. ![]() Related: 11th District candidates Davis, Cawthorn talk climate change, forest funding 30, Abraczinskas said nitrogen dioxide readings were down an average of 26.8% from the same period in 2019. Department of Environmental Quality’s greenhouse gas emission inventory completed last year showed that in 2017, the largest producer of greenhouse gases is electricity at 35.6%, followed by transportation at 31.4%.īetween March and April of 2019 to the same time period in 2020, the number of miles traveled by motor vehicles dropped 40%, he said, with the biggest dip coming in mid-April of 58% at the height of the governor-ordered shutdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus.įrom data taken at a roadside site in the Research Triangle Park near Raleigh, one of the busiest stretches of roadway in the state, for the six-month period ending Sept. He said there has definitely been a drop in the use of motor vehicles, which also burn fossil fuels.Ī N.C. Abraczinskas said while a definitive correlation could not yet link the coronavirus pandemic to cleaner air, things seem to be pointing in that direction. It might turn out that 2020 will have some of the cleanest air on record. So far this year, Duke completed construction of the natural gas fired power plant, which Walls said is about 75% more efficient than the coal plant, emits 60% less carbon emissions per megawatt hour, a 99% reduction in sulfur dioxide and an additional 40% reduction in nitrogen oxides and mercury emissions. ![]() Related: Duke Energy coal ash landfill at Asheville steam gets state approval to move forward The company also recently launched operation of the largest battery storage facility in North Carolina – located in the historically Black Shiloh community in South Asheville – and plans to break ground soon in Hot Springs on the largest commercial-scale micro-grid in North Carolina using solar power coupled with a battery. ![]() Walls said Duke Energy has committed to a 70% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030 and a net zero carbon emissions goal by 2050, which will be accomplished with an Integrative Resource Plan that incorporates more renewable energy, Walls said. Related: Duke Energy: Largest battery system in NC in Asheville to play a role in reducing carbon emissions “We're going to see even more reductions and pollution.” “We're very excited about the Duke Energy Progress modernization project,” Featherstone said. One of the ways to determine the improvement in air quality is simply by standing on mountaintops, including in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, where in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, air pollution from power plants drowned its famous views.Ībraczinskas showed a slide of what he called “our greatest success in improving air quality in North Carolina, where it's no more visible and noticeable than right here in the Western North Carolina mountains, where visibility has drastically improved.”ĭue to those wildfires, the Air Quality Index has become more refined, and instead of reporting air quality for just six regions, it has expanded to a daily report for every one of North Carolina’s 100 counties. North Carolinians are definitely breathing the cleanest air that they have at any time." Clearer mountain views "That's wonderful news, a testament to all of our good work on advancements in technology, the regulatory and non-regulatory measures. “We are seeing the lowest ambient air pollution levels that have been recorded since the inception of our program," he said. He touted the strict emissions standards established through the 1970 federal Clean Air Act and the 2002 N.C. Clean Smokestacks Act as some of the major reasons for reducing ozone and other greenhouse gases – which are formed by the burning of fossil fuels and lead to climate change - with the historic improvements. “Without a doubt, we're seeing the best air quality that we have ever measured in the history of our program,” Abraczinskas said of the state’s Division of Air Quality, now in its 51st year. Related: Duke Energy officially retires coal units at Lake Julian Usually held at the council’s New Leicester Highway offices, went virtual this year, conference panelists had unanimous good news about the state of the state’s air. ![]()
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