Environmental groups rally outside Duke headquarters

Members of 10 environmental organizations rallied Thursday morning outside Duke Energy’s annual shareholder meeting in the 500 block of South Church Street.

Among the groups were Action NC, Appalachian Voices, Charlotte Environmental Action and Greenpeace NC.

Group members called out Duke for what they contend are the company’s efforts to block access to solar energy and its plans for coal ash disposal.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police didn’t expect large protests, and Duke’s meeting was not declared an “extraordinary event.” The designation gives police increased powers and bans some items, such as hammers, from the area.

In response to claims that Duke Energy blocks access to solar energy, spokesman Randy Wheeless has said Duke Energy Progress ranked fourth among all utility companies for bringing on new solar capacity in 2014, including built and purchased capacity.

Outside of three California utilities, Duke Energy Progress was the leading utility in the nation last year, bringing 161 megawatts of new solar capacity online, Wheeless said.

This story was originally published May 7, 2015 at 6:36 AM with the headline "Environmental groups rally outside Duke headquarters."