This new program will be available to Duke Energy Carolinas's North Carolina customers immediately, while its South Carolina customers are expected to be able to participate in the program in the near future.

Duke Energy Carolinas's North Carolina customers can purchase a carbon offset for $4 a month, which represents 500 pounds of CO2, the equivalent of 500kWh of electricity. For the typical residential customer, the purchase of two carbon offsets for $8 a month would offset their average monthly consumption of 1,000kWh of electricity.

Duke Energy Carolinas will match the first carbon offset block purchased by customers from NC GreenPower up to $1 million through 2009. Carbon offset purchases will be reflected in a participating customer's monthly bill and passed directly to NC GreenPower.

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Carbon offsets are created through projects that result in a reduction of carbon in the atmosphere. Carbon offsets are purchased from a third party and can neutralize carbon produced from today's energy-intensive lifestyles.

This new program will be available to Duke Energy Carolinas' North Carolina customers immediately. Duke Energy Carolinas' South Carolina customers will be able to participate in the program in the near future.

"As a company, Duke Energy is building more efficient coal- and gas-fired plants, and investing in wind, solar and other renewable energy. We are also investigating new technology to capture and sequester carbon emissions, pursuing innovative energy efficiency programs and supporting effective and sensible federal climate change legislation," said Keith Trent, group executive and chief strategy, policy and regulatory officer.

"We value our customers' commitment to energy efficiency and a clean environment. Through our partnership with NC GreenPower, we hope to give them the opportunity to achieve their personal goals through these carbon offsets," said Trent.

Duke Energy Carolinas' North Carolina customers can purchase a carbon offset for $4 a month, which represents 500 pounds of carbon dioxide, the equivalent of 500 kilowatt-hours of electricity. For the typical residential customer, the purchase of two carbon offsets for $8 a month would offset their average monthly consumption of 1,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity.

As part of its commitment to the environment and to encourage participation in the carbon offset program, Duke Energy Carolinas will match the first carbon offset block purchased by customers from NC GreenPower up to $1 million through 2009.

The NC GreenPower carbon offset program reflects Duke Energy's carbon-reduction strategy and efforts. North Carolina customers interested in reducing the carbon produced from their daily activities now have a program they can easily enroll in by visiting the company's Web site: www.Duke-Energy.com .

Carbon offset purchases will be reflected in a participating customer's monthly bill and passed directly to NC GreenPower. NC GreenPower is a non-profit organization created jointly by the states utilities and Raleigh-based Advanced Energy to promote renewable energy.

Advanced Energy is a non-profit organization that creates economic, environmental and societal benefits through innovative and market-based approaches to energy issues.

"Duke Energy Carolinas has partnered with us to promote renewable energy in North Carolina, and we are delighted to participate in the development and administration of this carbon offset program. Program funds will be used to support carbon offset programs such as reforestation projects and the capture of methane gas from landfills," said Maggy Inman, NC GreenPower's vice president.

In selecting projects, NC GreenPower will follow strict criteria developed by the Environmental Defense Fund. Projects must meet nine specific criteria, including the following key requirements:

    -- It must be a direct carbon emission (no renewable energy certificates)
    -- Quantification of emission reductions must be reliable and accurate
    -- Emission reductions must be serialized and tracked
    -- All offsets must be verified by an independent third party

"NC GreenPower was created to develop renewable sources of energy to supplement the existing generation sources such as coal and nuclear generation. We believe this new carbon offset program will be just as successful in developing projects that address climate change issues," said Inman.

Additional information regarding NC GreenPower and its programs supporting the development of renewable energy such as wind, solar and biomass can be found at its Web site: www.NCGreenPower.org

Duke Energy's Carolinas' operations include nuclear, coal-fired, natural gas and hydroelectric generation. That diverse fuel mix provides nearly 21,000 megawatts of safe, reliable and competitively priced electricity to more than 2.3 million electric customers in a 24,000-square-mile service area of North Carolina and South Carolina.

Duke Energy, one of the largest electric power companies in the United States, supplies and delivers electricity to approximately 4 million U.S. customers in its regulated jurisdictions. The company has approximately 35,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity in the Midwest and the Carolinas, and natural gas distribution services in Ohio and Kentucky. In addition, Duke Energy has more than 4,000 megawatts of electric generation in Latin America, and is a joint-venture partner in a U.S. real estate company.

Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK) is a Fortune 500 company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information about the company is available on the Internet at: www.duke-energy.com.

    CONTACT: Andy Thompson
    Phone:   704-382-8336
    24-Hour: 704-382-8333

SOURCE Duke Energy

http://www.duke-energy.com

Under agreements signed with SunEdison, customers of Duke Energy Carolinas are expected to receive more than 16 megawatts of power from the solar farm beginning no later than Dec. 31, 2010. The agreements run for 20 years.

"We said we wanted to lead the way in the development of more renewable energy and we meant it," said Keith Trent, group executive and chief strategy, policy and regulatory officer. "Today's agreements, coupled with the other significant initiatives across our company, clearly demonstrate that renewable energy has an important place in our power generation portfolio."

The SunEdison agreements are a result of a request for proposals, or RFP, that Duke Energy issued in April 2007. It was the first RFP of its kind in North Carolina and was specifically designed for potential renewable providers.

In addition to purchasing renewable energy from other providers, Duke Energy is advancing plans for its own distributed solar generation program. Distributed generation is energy created close to where it is used, rather than being produced in large power plants and sent to customers over the power grid. The company plans a filing with the North Carolina Utilities Commission in the near future that will seek approval for the program, and the authority to recover its investment. Under the plan, Duke Energy would install and operate distributed solar generation on customer rooftops and other spaces.

Duke Energy is also adding wind power to its generation portfolio. In April 2008, a wind farm in Indiana began supplying 100 megawatts of power to Duke Energy customers. In 2007, Duke Energy Generation Services entered the wind energy business and expects to have its first projects (about 180 megawatts) online later this year. Other wind development projects of more than 3,000 megawatts are planned in eight different western and southwestern states.

In 2007, Duke Energy supported the development of the new Renewable and Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard (REPS) in North Carolina. It requires the utility to satisfy 12.5 percent of its customers' power needs with renewables or energy efficiency by 2021. Specific solar requirements are implemented in 2010. By 2018, at least two-tenths of one percent of total retail sales must come from solar energy. In Ohio, the company also supported that state's new advanced energy portfolio standard, which sets a requirement of 12.5 percent of a utility's sales to be met with renewable energy sources by 2025.

Broader use of renewable energy is part of Duke Energy's comprehensive plan to create a sustainable energy future for the Carolinas while the company continues to work to reduce its environmental footprint. The plan includes building new power plants; robust energy efficiency programs to reduce demand; and supporting state and federal energy policies that encourage the development of new technology. Together, these initiatives will allow Duke Energy to continue to meet customers' need for power in an environmentally sound way.

Duke Energy's Carolinas' operations include nuclear, coal-fired, natural gas and hydroelectric generation. That diverse fuel mix provides nearly 21,000 megawatts of safe, reliable and competitively priced electricity to more than 2.3 million electric customers in a 24,000-square-mile service area of North Carolina and South Carolina.

Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), one of the largest electric power companies in the United States, supplies and delivers electricity to approximately 4 million U.S. customers in its regulated jurisdictions. The company has approximately 35,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity in the Midwest and the Carolinas, and natural gas distribution services in Ohio and Kentucky. In addition, Duke Energy has more than 4,000 megawatts of electric generation in Latin America, and is a joint-venture partner in a U.S. real estate company. Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is a Fortune 500 company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information about the company is available on the Internet at: www.duke-energy.com.

Sun Edison LLC is North America's largest solar energy services provider and operates across a global marketplace. SunEdison provides solar-generated energy at or below current retail rates to a broad and diverse client base of commercial, municipal and utility customers. For more information about SunEdison, please visit www.sunedison.com.

                   SunEdison Photovoltaic Solar Power Farm

                                  Fact Sheet

    Aggregate Capacity:   18 MW (AC), or 21.5 MW (DC), is the nameplate
                          combined size of facilities making up the PV Solar
                          Farm.

                          The expected capacity delivered to Duke Energy
                          customers is 16.1 MW (AC).

    Total Output:         16.1 MW of photovoltaic (PV) solar capacity produces
                          approximately 28,210,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) in its
                          first year, the equivalent of powering 2,647 homes
                          for one year.

                          Over 20 years, 16.1 MW of PV solar capacity will
                          produce an estimated 513,685,000 kWh, the equivalent
                          of powering 48,206 homes for one year.

    Characteristics:      Solar PV power plants are independent of fossil fuel
                          use, use little to no water in operation, and
                          produce no noise.

                          Photovoltaic, literally 'Photo' (light) and
                          'voltaic' (electricity), means the use of sunlight
                          (photons) to generate electricity. Most solar
                          photovoltaic systems use solar panels to create
                          solar electricity. Photons from sunlight elevate
                          electrons into a higher state of energy, creating
                          electricity.

    Location:             Davidson County, North Carolina

    Project Timeline:     The PV solar farm will consist of 36 individual
                          solar PV facilities, located at a single site
                          Construction is anticipated to start early 3rd
                          Quarter, 2009
                          Targeted commercial operation date is December 31,
                          2010

    Capital Costs:        Zero. Under this project, Duke Energy pays no
                          upfront capital costs.

                          SunEdison will develop, finance, build, operate,
                          monitor and maintain the clean solar power plant
                          under a solar power services agreement (SPSA) with
                          Duke Energy. There are no up-front capital costs to
                          Duke Energy or rate payers.

    Environmental Impact: In one full year of production, 16.1 MW of PV solar
                          power offsets 32,328,660 lbs of C02.  This is the
                          equivalent of taking 3,168 cars off the road for one
                          year.

                          Over 20 years, the project would offset 598,026,392
                          lbs of C02, which is the equal to taking 58,607 cars
                          off the road for one year.


    CONTACT:   Paige Sheehan
    Phone:     704-382-6982
    24-Hour:   704-382-8333

SOURCE Duke Energy

http://www.sunedison.com

The agreements, with solar company SunEdison LLC, run for 20 years, Duke said. The company did not disclose financial terms of the deal.

Duke also plans to develop its own distributed solar generation program, which involves creating energy close to where it is consumed rather than sending energy produced in large plants to customers across the power grid.

The company is also adding wind power to its generation portfolio; a wind farm in Indiana began supplying 100 megawatts of power to Duke Energy in April, Duke said.

Duke shares were trading up 14 cents at $18.73.

Brigid Gaffikin bg/vj

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