The proposals are expected to support Duke Energy's plans to meet North Carolina’s 2007 Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard (REPS).
As per the standard, the company is mandated to have at least 12.5% of its retail energy sales coming from renewable resources or or energy efficiency programs by 2021.
Duke Energy Renewables and Distributed Energy Technology president Rob Caldwell said: “As costs in the wind sector decline and capacity factors increase, now is an excellent time to pursue wind energy for the Carolinas.
“Our experience in wind energy spans more than a decade, so we are excited to evaluate this resource for the benefit of our customers.”
The RFP is open to new or existing wind generation facilities than can deliver a capacity of 100MW to 500MW to Duke Energy’s transmission system by the end of 2022.
Duke Energy owns and operates more than 35 solar facilities in the two states but it currently does not buy any wind power for its consumers in the region.
The company also mentioned that the wind generation facilities may not necessarily be situated in the Carolinas.
The RFP offers flexibility to bidders including the power purchase agreements, which can vary between five to twenty years in duration.
The options for bidders also include build, own and transfer proposals in which Duke Energy takes ownership of the new facility. Bidders have to submit thier proposals to Duke Energy before 27 September this year.
Image: Duke Energy seeks 500MW in wind energy. Photo: Courtesy of Jim Frech/FreeImages.com.
