June 20, 2008—Duke Energy Carolinas plans to spend $100 million over the next 2 years to install roughly 20 megawatts (MW) of solar panels throughout North Carolina, according to a report from the US Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). The utility filed an application on June 6 with the North Carolina Utilities Commission, asking for approval to implement the solar distributed generation program.
If the program is approved, Duke Energy Carolinas will install solar power systems on rooftops or on the ground at more than 850 customer locations throughout the state, including homes, schools, stores, and factories. Duke Energy Carolinas would own and operate the equipment, but customers who offer their location for solar panels will be rewarded by the utility, notes EERE.
The program will help Duke Energy Carolinas meet its obligations under the state’s Renewable and Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard, which requires 0.02% of the electricity sold in the state to come from solar power in 2010, increasing to 0.2% solar power by 2018. Once the solar power is converting into alternating current, it will provide roughly 16 MW of power, enough to serve more than 2,600 homes.
The utility has also contracted to buy the entire electrical output from an 18-MW solar photovoltaic facility that SunEdison plans to build north of Charlotte. Construction is slated for mid-2009, with commercial operation by the end of 2010.
