North Carolina co-ops turn to batteries as utility bills climb and storm fears linger

North Carolina co-ops turn to batteries as utility bills climb and storm fears linger

After Hurricane Helene left more than 700,000 Duke Energy customers in North Carolina without electricity, rising power bills are sharpening a question for many households: how would they handle the next major outage? In parts of North Carolina not served by Duke Energy, member-owned electric cooperatives are adding batteries that can store power for disruptions, shift usage to cheaper time periods, and reduce the impact of blackouts on customer…