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Two new North Carolina solar farms owned by a subsidiary of Duke Energy have begun generating electricity. And for the first time, they're selling it to the company's regulated consumer side.

European countries are importing more and more wood pellets from plants across the U.S. South to be burned for energy in place of coal. In this installment of The Wood Energy Dilemma, we visit the Enviva plant in North Carolina's Northampton County.

Duke Energy does not have wind farms in the Carolinas, but the utility says wind energy could be part of its long-term strategy to cut carbon emissions from electricity generation. CEO Lynn Good hinted recently that the Charlotte-based company is looking at offshore wind energy along the Atlantic Coast. 

There's a big market sending U.S. wood pellets to Europe to burn as clean energy. But critics say they're not climate-friendly, and their production poses a health hazard for low-income communities.

The $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill that passed a final vote in Congress on Friday will help speed up electric vehicle adoption in North Carolina. The state stands to get $109 million to expand vehicle charging stations.

Climate change is on the minds of world leaders gathering for the United Nations climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, next week. They'll be talking about emissions reductions, carbon markets and other tactics to meet the goals of the 2015 Paris climate agreement. It's far removed from South Carolina's Low Country, where members of the Gullah Geechee Nation are already feeling the effects of climate change.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has signed into law a major energy reform bill designed to promote cleaner energy and change the way electric utilities are regulated. Cooper signed the bill even though business, environmental and consumer groups say it doesn't go far enough and could lead to big price increases.

Major changes in the National Flood Insurance Program take effect on Friday. A new method of gauging risk is supposed to make rates more equitable, reduce big subsidies and incorporate new risks from climate change. Rates could rise sharply for Carolinas' coastal property owners, while policyholders elsewhere will actually see bills go down.

Business and residential customers of Piedmont Natural Gas could see their rates go up Nov. 1 under an agreement the company reached last week with customer groups and the state's utility consumer advocate.

The news is filled with headlines about climate change. And that's affecting the mental health of many. It has different names — climate anxiety, eco anxiety or even climate grief.