Duke Energy Renewables acquires 20-MW Longboat Solar Project in California from EDF Renewable Energy
Duke Energy Renewables has acquired the development assets associated with the proposed 20-megawatt (MW-AC) Longboat Solar Power Project in California from EDF Renewable Energy.The project will be built in San Bernardino County near the city of Barstow. With this addition, Duke Energy Renewables has seven solar power projects in California totaling more than 130 megawatts, enough to power about 40,000 average homes.
“Longboat is a great addition to our growing California solar portfolio,” said Greg Wolf, Commercial Portfolio president, Duke Energy. “In addition to utility-scale solar projects, we’ve also made investments in California distributed generation and energy management systems for commercial and industrial companies, which enables us to offer a full array of services in the state and across the U.S.”
The energy generated from Longboat and associated renewable energy credits (RECs) will be sold to Southern California Edison through a 20-year agreement.”We’re proud to turn over the Longboat solar project to Duke Energy Renewables,” said Raphael Declercq, vice president, Portfolio Strategy, EDF Renewable Energy. “We value the support of San Bernardino county and the local community for its first-ever unanimous approval of a solar project. We leveraged nearly 30 years of experience and managed the state’s rigorous and thorough approval process to position this project ready for construction.”
Gehrlicher Solar America Corp. will oversee the construction of the project, which is expected to be in service by year-end 2016. Jinko is providing 84,000 single-axis tracking and polycrystalline modules.In addition to these utility-scale projects, Duke Energy made majority investments in two California companies last year, REC Solar and Phoenix Energy Technologies. REC Solar, located in San Luis Obispo, Calif., is a provider of comprehensive commercial solar and energy solutions. Phoenix Energy Technologies, based in Irvine, Calif., is a provider of energy management systems and services for commercial and industrial customers.
Over the past eight years, Duke Energy, through its regulated and commercial businesses, has invested more than $4 billion in solar and wind across the country. The company plans to invest about $3 billion in renewable energy over the next five years.
