Duke Energy CEO Jim Rogers thinks the energy future looks like this: coal, nuclear, solar, wind and batteries.
Rogers laid out his vision of the future to FastCompany, the publication that caters to entrepreneurs.
Rogers noted in this week's interview that when Charlotte-based Duke completes its merger with Raleigh-based Progress Energy, the result will be the biggest electric utility in the nation and one of the country's biggest emitters of greenhouse gases.
He also said that by 2050, Duke will have to replace most of its nuclear and coal-burning power plants, and invest in next-generation technologies.
Rogers' energy lineup doesn't look all that much different from today's energy mix, minus his emphasis on batteries. But he believes all those technologies will not resemble the incarnations we have today.
For example, Rogers is betting on modular nuclear technology, a reference to small-scale nuclear plants. He's also betting on the trapping and recycling of carbon dioxide, a leading greenhouse gas, rather than releasing it into the atmosphere.
Solar and wind power will become affordable, removing a major obstacle to green power, he believes.
John Murawski has been a full-time newspaper reporter since 1991, with stints at Legal Times and The Chronicle of Philanthropy (both in Washington, DC), The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Palm Beach Post (in South Florida) before arriving at the N&O in December 2004. At the N&O he covers energy (nuclear, coal, renewable, efficiency), hydralic fracturing (or "fracking"), public utilities (both electric and natural gas) and health care. His beat includes Progress Energy, PSNC Energy, Piedmont Natural Gas, PowerSecure International, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, Biogen Idec and others. You can reach him at 919-829-8932 or