Yeah. The original power plant was near the old Kenan labs. I assume that they built the new one when they decommissioned that part of the rail line. This was the era when the university ran the power company, water company and (I think) the phone company.
Anyone can buy electricity from Duke Power and they are pretty eager to sell electricity. But UNC's interest in this power plant isn't just electricity. They also want the steam to heat buildings - or so I think. This is not to take away from the many good points you make, but to say that UNC's attachment to the power plant may be a little more complicated than it first appears. Replacing the electricity with a cleaner source would be simple, but replacing the steam which heats some of the buildings on campus is more complex (assuming that I am right that they still heat buildings with that steam).
It would help if we understood why UNC ever built the plant. It was for heating buildings? And the electricity generated was a side benefit?
Yeah. The original power plant was near the old Kenan labs. I assume that they built the new one when they decommissioned that part of the rail line. This was the era when the university ran the power company, water company and (I think) the phone company.
Anyone can buy electricity from Duke Power and they are pretty eager to sell electricity. But UNC's interest in this power plant isn't just electricity. They also want the steam to heat buildings - or so I think. This is not to take away from the many good points you make, but to say that UNC's attachment to the power plant may be a little more complicated than it first appears. Replacing the electricity with a cleaner source would be simple, but replacing the steam which heats some of the buildings on campus is more complex (assuming that I am right that they still heat buildings with that steam).