North Carolina’s state ratepayers advocate and clean energy developers have endorsed the proposal, though some still have concerns.

The proposal will allow some large customers to pay to speed up construction of new solar farms. Duke Energy intends to formalize the program soon.

In North Carolina, community members and advocates see a path — however narrow — to defeating a proposed gas plant that would threaten state climate goals.

Amid an expected surge in electricity demand, critics say the utility is “tripling down” on natural gas and snubbing clean energy.

In what could be the largest such effort from a big investor-owned utility, the program will recoup costs over time via low on-bill payments from customers.