300 MW OF NORTH CAROLINA SOLAR POWER REQUESTED IN DUKE RFP

Photo: Activ Solar/creative commons

Duke Energy has already built some large solar power installations in North Carolina, contributing to the state’s boom in utility-scale solar last year. Now the energy giant is sending clear signals that there is more to come, issuing an RFP for 300 MW of new solar power capacity to be completed no later than the end of 2015. In a press release about the RFP, Rob Caldwell, vice president of Renewable Generation Development, explained that this will mean a significant increase in Duke’s own renewable energy capacity.

“This proposal will practically double our current solar capacity for customers in the Carolinas. It gives developers the opportunity to pursue projects for the long term, or to negotiate for Duke Energy to acquire ownership of the new facilities once they are operational.”

The move is motivated in part as an effort to comply with North Carolina’s Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard, which mandates power companies to source a certain amount of their energy from renewable sources.