Zachary Turner

A recent Yale opinion poll showed that not only are Mecklenburg residents worried about climate change, but the majority also believe that local elected officials should do more to address global warming. But do Charlotte’s candidates believe they can make a difference when it comes to the environment and climate change?

Recent federal actions cast uncertainty over the future of North Carolina’s solar industry. But people familiar with the history of rooftop solar in the state say uncertainty is nothing new.

Clean energy tax credits have saved people money on home solar installations for more than 20 years. They’re set to expire at the end of this year, after the Trump administration canceled them. However, it might already be too late for homeowners to save on new solar.

Federal solar tax credits expire at the end of the year, but homeowners, businesses and nonprofits may still have an opportunity to get a solar installation at a discounted price. The deadline to enroll in Mecklenburg’s solar installation group purchase program has been extended to Nov. 28.

Australia mines more lithium than any other country, but most of that lithium is refined in China. Countries such as Australia and the U.S. are looking to refine more lithium at home, and North Carolina is well-positioned to benefit.

It’s been two years since migrant farmworker Jose Arturo Gonzalez Mendoza died from possible heat-related illness at Barnes Farming in Nash County — though the farm has said an autopsy shows a rare tumor was responsible. Last week, another farmworker died after a sweet potato truck struck him, an incident advocates say highlights the dangers migrant workers face.

More fossil fuels and rate hikes are on the horizon as Duke Energy prepares to meet the demand of electrification, manufacturing and data centers.

Energy experts gathered in Raleigh this week to discuss how North Carolina’s energy grid — and ratepayers’ wallets — will handle the incoming wave of new data centers.

The deadline for a solar power purchasing program in Mecklenburg County is approaching.

Duke Energy has released its projections for future energy demands. But energy policy experts disagree on what those projections mean for North Carolina’s grid infrastructure.