Duke Energy continues to expand North Carolina’s solar power with its 22.6 MW Stony Knoll Solar power station in Surry County. Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions (DESS) owns and operates the project. The project was selected as part of the competitive bidding process established by 2017’s solar legislation in North Carolina.
The solar plant, which has 76,600 panels and single-axis tracking, is situated on 195 acres in Dobson (N.C.). The facility’s design and construction of the project were performed by SOLV Energy. A 20-year power purchase agreement will provide the solar power generated by this project.
“In addition to our many renewable energy projects across the nation, North Carolina continues to be fertile ground for solar power,” states Chris Fallon, president of Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions. “With the help of our partners in Surry County, we have brought online the largest solar power plant in the county.”
The fourth-ranked state in overall solar energy is North Carolina. As Duke Energy prepares a Carolinas Carbon Plan, which will go before regulators in May, the outlook is positive for more solar energy in future.
“Solar power continues to play a vital part of our clean energy transition,” says Stephen De May, Duke Energy’s North Carolina president. “We expect renewables to grow significantly in the years ahead as we focus on meeting our customers’ needs for increasingly clean energy.”