North Carolina’s status as a national solar energy leader expanded further in 2016 as Duke Energy connected about 500 megawatts (MW) of solar capacity in the state to serve customers.
The combination of owned and purchased solar was enough to power about 105,000 homes at peak production.
“Renewable energy is important to our customers, and Duke Energy is responding by developing and owning solar plants – and also by connecting other solar projects to our system in North Carolina,” said Rob Caldwell, president, Duke Energy Renewables and Distributed Energy Technology.
Across its commercial and regulated businesses, Duke Energy invested in 100 MW of capacity during the year – including plants in Davie, Hertford, Northampton, Perquimans and Wilson counties.
The company also purchased and connected about 400 MW of solar capacity for customers in 2016 that was built by other developers.
Much of the new solar energy supports North Carolina’s 2007 Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard that mandates Duke Energy generate 12.5 percent of its retail sales in the state by renewable energy or energy efficiency programs by 2021.
Source:prnewswire
