The two projects will add over 70MW of capacity to the company’s North Carolina solar portfolio.
January 27, 2022
Duke Energy announced it achieved the commercial operation of two of the utility’s solar projects, adding just over 70MW to the company’s ever-growing utility-scale project portfolio.
The projects in question are the 50MW Broad River Solar power plant in Cleveland County, North Carolina, west of Charlotte, and the 22.6-MW Speedway Solar power plant in Cabarrus County, North Carolina, just northeast of Charlotte.
Construction of the Broad River project began last March, with Swinerton physically constructing the facility. Located on roughly 500 acres, the project is comprised of more than 170,000 solar panels and created more than 100 jobs during peak construction.
In constructing the project, Duke also awarded a $5,000 grant to the Cleveland County Schools Educational Foundation and Crest High School to add a renewable energy and green construction skills module into the school’s workforce development curriculum.
Construction on Speedway Solar also began in spring 2021, with efforts officially beginning in May. The project’s 185 acre site is home to 77,000 Jinko bifacial modules mounted on single-axis trackers. During peak construction, the project created roughly 70 jobs, and Duke awarded a $5,000 grant to the Cabarrus County Education Foundation to increase internet connectivity for students in Midland and Mt. Pleasant, N.C., much like the company did with the Broad River project.
In total, Duke has constructed or acquired more than 4,100 MW of solar power via roughly 40 solar installations across North Carolina.
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