Welcome to energized! Collaboration is vital in addressing energy challenges and shaping the energy future.

• Author: Doctor, David A.

You will find this edition of Energized reflective of energy in the Carolinas. Its content is broad, ranging from established utilities and the companies serving them to energy ventures on the lead edge of innovation.

The Carolinas are unique in their diversity and in the number of energy companies. In 2012 McKinsey & Co. identified more than 200 energy companies in the Charlotte metropolitan area employing more than 20,000. A 2013 RTI International/Research Triangle CleanTech Cluster study identified more than 100 smart-grid and smart-vehicle companies in the Research Triangle area. A 2013 Clemson University study found the nuclear industry in South and North Carolina employed 29,000 workers and provided an economic impact of more than $20 billion per year. In 2011 the N.C. Clean Energy Association identified nearly 2,000 registered renewable energy projects in North Carolina encompassing solar, wind, biomass, hydroelectric and geothermal energy. While these studies were only for discrete energy sectors and locations, they indicate the Carolinas likely have thousands of energy companies and hundreds of thousands of energy professionals and skilled workers.

In addition to our concentration of companies and workers and the resulting economic impact, we have other energy distinctions. With eight universities and two globally recognized private research organizations engaged in energy research, we are a national leader. We also have an abundance of organizations and associations promoting energy in the Carolinas. Not only are the Carolinas home to Duke Energy, the nation's largest electric utility, we also are the home of SCE&G and Santee Cooper, two of the few utilities engaged in nuclear new builds in the United States. The Carolinas have more installed nuclear generating capacity than any single state, and we continue to lead in new energy sources: In 2013 North Carolina ranked third in new solar generating installations.

With collaboration we can employ the resources within our borders to address significant global energy challenges and shape the energy future. For example:

* We know...