New Duke Energy solar facility opens in North Carolina

Published on April 14, 2022 by Dave Kovaleski


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© Duke Energy

The 22.6-megawatt (MW) Stony Knoll Solar power plant in Surry County, N.C., recently commenced operations.

The solar project — owned and operated by Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions (DESS) — was selected as part of the competitive bidding process established by 2017’s solar legislation in North Carolina.

The plant, located on 195 acres in Dobson, N.C., contains 76,600 panels with single-axis tracking. The solar energy from the facility will power the equivalent of 5,000 homes. The solar power generated by the project will be delivered through a 20-year power purchase agreement.

“In addition to our many renewable energy projects across the nation, North Carolina continues to be fertile ground for solar power,” Chris Fallon, president of Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions, said. “With the help of our partners in Surry County, we have brought online the largest solar power plant in the county.”

SOLV Energy handled the facility’s design and construction.

North Carolina is fourth in the nation for overall solar energy. More will be added as Duke Energy submitted a plan to regulators in May to develop a proposed Carolinas Carbon Plan.

“Solar power continues to play a vital part of our clean energy transition,” Stephen De May, Duke Energy’s North Carolina president, said. “We expect renewables to grow significantly in the years ahead as we focus on meeting our customers’ needs for increasingly clean energy.”

A leader in renewable energy, Duke Energy maintains more than 4,200 MW of solar power on its energy grid in North Carolina and operates more than 40 solar facilities in the state.