Duke Energy Passes 1 GW Mark for Owned Solar Capacity

Duke Energy has passed the 1 GW threshold of utility-scale owned and operated solar facilities nationwide.

With the North Rosamond Solar Facility coming online in June in California, Duke Energy has passed the 1-gigawatt (GW) threshold of utility-scale owned and operated solar facilities nationwide.

The energy company has been building its solar portfolio that now includes almost 70 sites in 10 states, with a total capacity of 1.1 GW. At peak output, that could serve energy to approximately 2 million homes.

“For nearly a decade, Duke Energy has been delivering affordable solar power to our customers. This provides significant economic benefits to our communities while generating no environmental emissions,” said Rob Caldwell, senior vice president and president of Duke Energy Renewables & Business Development.

In addition to owning and operating solar facilities, the North Carolina company is one of the largest purchasers of solar power in the nation for its customers. Currently, the company purchases the output from more than 3 GW of capacity in states where it serves retail customers. Taken together, the 4 GW of owned and purchased renewables make up more than 9% of Duke Energy’s generated electricity.

The home state for the company is its biggest solar market – in addition to being the No. 2 state in the nation for overall solar power. The company owns 40 solar facilities in the state, including the 80 MW Conetoe Solar Facility in Edgecombe County, the 65-MW Warsaw Solar Facility in Duplin County and the 60-MW Monroe Solar Facility in Union County.

In Florida, the firm has over 100 MW of solar generation in operation and four more solar plants targeted for operation by the end of March 2020. That represents an additional 270 MW of clean energy for customers. These investments are part of an overall solar generation expansion plan to reliably and cost-effectively grow Duke Energy Florida’s solar portfolio to 700 MW by 2022.

“Our future shows even more solar being built and operated by Duke Energy,” added Caldwell. “One GW is a notable milestone, but we have plans for much more.”