Greenpeace airship flies over a Duke coal plant in North Carolina

Duke Energy has revamped its logo. With swooping green and blue bands, the new corporate brand seems intended to invoke thoughts of sustainability. But sadly, Duke Energy has done nothing to change its energy mix.  Set to become the largest coal fired utility in the country, Duke relies heavily on a dirty energy cocktail of coal and nuclear energy.

Following it’s controversial merger with Progress Energy earlier this year, Duke clearly felt the need to innovate. But innovation doesn’t come naturally to Duke – its most recent annual report shows a plan for a mere 3% renewable energy by 2032.

This is where Duke often falls down, straddling the gaping distance between their rhetoric and reality. Duke CEO Jim Rogers likes to talk about the need to tackle climate change, yet in coming weeks Rogers will be bringing online the country’s newest coal fired power plant at Cliffside, North Carolina.

Duke needs to realize that the community expects the largest utility in the country to be a leader. A leader in clean energy, shuttering harmful coal and nuclear plants, and leading the way to a robust clean energy future.  Right now, all we’re getting is greenwashing.