The two solar plants will generate enough clean energy to power 20,000 American homes annually
Duke Energy begins construction on new solar plants in North Carolina. (Credit: Duke Energy Corporation.)
Duke Energy has started construction on two solar plants with 94MW of capacity in the US state of North Carolina.
The two solar plants include the 69MW Maiden Creek and 25MW Gaston solar facilities, located in Catawba County town of Maiden and Gaston County town of Bessemer City, respectively.
Duke Energy North Carolina president Stephen De May said: “Building more solar supports Duke Energy’s strategy of lowering carbon emissions as we strive to meet our 2050 net-zero carbon goal.
“We participated in a rigorous bidding process – competing with other companies to bring more renewable energy to the state.”
When complete, the two solar projects will be powered by 400,000 solar panels, generating enough clean energy to be supplied to 20,000 homes and businesses in the region.
Both the projects are expected to begin operations by the end of this year.
Two projects will employ 380 workers during construction
Catawba County Board of Commissioners chair Randy Isenhower said: “Catawba County applauds Duke Energy’s efforts in partnering with the private sector to increase the use of cost-effective renewable energy.
“This project will bring jobs to our community during construction and generate clean energy for years to come.”
During the construction phase, the two projects are expected to employ a total of 380 workers.
Currently, Duke Energy maintains over 3.3GW of solar power on its energy grid in North Carolina, which could power about 700,000 homes and businesses at peak output.
Few days ago, the company had begun operations of the 200MW Rambler Solar project in Tom Green County, Texas.
For the company, it is the second 200MW solar plant in the state, bringing its total solar portfolio in the state to more than 500MW in operation.