Solar power gets boost in S.C. - Business - TheState.com

By ADVA SALDINGER - asaldinger@thesunnews.com

"The 1,300 solar panels will be installed on top of buildings and on the ground next to the Myrtle Beach Service Center, Warehouse and Technical Services Office off Mr. Joe White Avenue, and will have a capacity of about 311 kilowatts in optimal conditions. The Grand Strand Solar Station should generate enough electricity for about 30 typical homes a year and will increase the amount of solar power generated in the state by 50 percent, according to Santee Cooper."

District 17 gets $96,076 check from Progress Energy program - The Item: News

BY JADE ANDERSON janderson@theitem.com

"The seven schools that received upgrades to their heating, ventilation and air condition controls were Bates Middle, Lemira Elementary, Crosswell Drive Elementary, Wilder Elementary, Alice Drive Elementary, Alice Drive Middle school and Sumter High schools. The upgrades allow operators to control temperatures at these facilities from a central location and set systems to adjust automatically at night, on weekends and during holidays. Johnson said the district can also now diagnose and fix certain problems without having to send someone out to the school."

Ellen Ruff to Retire from Duke Energy at Year End -- CHARLOTTE, N.C., Dec. 15, 2010 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --

"Ruff joined Duke Energy in 1978 and has held various leadership positions across the company during her tenure. She was named vice president and general counsel of electric operations in 1997, and vice president and general counsel of corporate gas and electric operations in 1999. In 2001, Ruff became vice president of asset management and later served as group vice president of planning and external relations, where she led the company's strategic planning, compliance, environmental health and safety, and external relations efforts."

Head of consumer group takes on FCC's net neutrality plan - TheHill.com

By Sara Jerome - 12/14/10 07:25 PM ET

"Sohn said she will oppose the plan unless it is strengthened — a decision that could help sink the top agenda item of Genachowski’s term and potentially obliterate his legacy as chairman."

One Republican, Unhappy With His Party's Position on Carbon, Prepares a New Agenda - NYTimes.com

By EVAN LEHMANN of ClimateWire

Published: December 14, 2010

"Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, is designing an agenda for next year featuring a clean energy standard for utilities, which rewards increased nuclear and renewable power alike. Similar ideas have failed because they tended to dilute incentives for wind and solar. But under an increasingly conservative Congress, many advocates see that outcome as a potential victory, under reduced expectations."

No rate hike for Santee Cooper | The Post and Courier, Charleston SC - News, Sports, Entertainment

By Warren Wise

"Santee Cooper's 163,000 electric customers and the 20 cooperatives it provides power to will not face a rate hike next year, but the state-owned utility says an increase might be needed in April 2012 to pay for nuclear power plant construction and projected higher fuel costs."

City power bill hike wins key approval - Local / Metro - TheState.com

By Adam Beam

"The hike will bring in an extra $3.6 million, which the city plans to give to the Central Midlands Regional Transit Authority to operate the county’s struggling bus system. The money is half of what the transit authority has requested from local governments, with the other half expected to come from Richland County Council.
Tuesday night, County Council members met in a closed meeting for more than an hour discussing how they could come up with the rest of the money. One option available to County Council members is to extend a countywide tax on registered vehicles. The tax, which is widely despised, is set to expire in June. It was put in place to allow the bus system to operate until the Nov. 2 referendum"