Energy Mix: Duke Energy activates new battery storage in Asheville

Residents in western North Carolina face higher electricity bills as heating demand rises this winter. Duke Energy recently brought a new solar and battery storage facility into service at its Asheville Energy Complex to help manage that increase. The system is designed to keep power reliable and costs lower for customers during the coldest months.

The Asheville Energy Complex is transitioning from a coal-fired plant to a modern facility. It now uses natural gas, solar power, and battery storage to serve more than 500,000 homes. The new solar array generates enough electricity to power approximately 5,000 households.

Logan Stewart, a Duke Energy representative, explained how the storage works. He noted that the system stores energy captured by solar panels or generated by the combined cycle plant. This excess power is held in batteries and released onto the grid when winter demand spikes.

Stewart said the diverse mix of energy sources allows the company to choose the most efficient fuel based on current prices. He stated that this flexibility helps drive down overall system costs and improves operational reliability. The company aims to pass those savings on to customers through lower bills.

Duke Energy also uses smart self-healing technology to manage outages. This system can reroute power to a different line automatically when a failure occurs on the main distribution lines. The goal is to limit the number of customers affected and restore service without requiring crews to manually switch power.

The shift to natural gas at the complex has reduced emissions by approximately 60% since 2020. The new gas facility operates more efficiently than the former coal plant. The battery storage and solar additions complete the site's transformation into a multi-source energy hub.

Duke Energy will continue to monitor the new system as temperatures drop. The company says the combination of gas, solar, and storage provides the flexibility needed to meet regional energy needs this winter.