Construction has begun on what will be the largest solar plant in Surry County, North Carolina. Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions has announced that the 22.6 MW solar park will contain 76,600 Trina Solar bifacial modules with single-axis tracking. The plant will be located on 195 acres in Dobson, North Carolina, near Rockford Road. The facility will power the equivalent of 5,000 homes. It is targeting commercial operation by the end of 2021. Under North Carolina’s Competitive Procurement for Renewable Energy, proposed projects must be built where there is a need for energy capacity on the Duke Energy system in North Carolina or South Carolina. The bids can come from any company, including Duke Energy, and can be in the form of power purchase agreements (PPA), utility self-developed facilities, or utility asset acquisitions.
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Stony Knoll Solar will be in charge of construction and have revealed that during peak construction, 70 jobs will be availed and that along with indirect economic benefits that accompany solar project development, such as increased local spending in the service and construction industries. The company will also have a positive economic impact on the local community by providing local tax revenues to the county and local school districts, as well as meaningful payments to the participating landowners.
“We’re pleased to continue to build upon the renewable energy resources in the state. The Stony Knoll solar project marks the third facility that we have announced in North Carolina this year and demonstrates our continued commitment to increasing clean energy generation in the state,” said Chris Fallon, president of Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions. “Duke Energy is bringing more carbon-free, renewable energy to customers in North Carolina. We’re pleased to add Surry County to our ever-growing list of solar locations as we significantly reduce carbon emissions on our path to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050,” said Duke Energy’s North Carolina president, Stephen De May.
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