Duke Energy ranks third in nation for solar capacity
Duke Energy Progress (DEP), based in Charlotte, North Carolina, announced on Wednesday that it ranks third in the country for solar energy connected to the grid according to Smart Electric Power Alliance’s (SEPA) Top 10 solar utility list.
Duke Energy ranked third in the nation for the increase to its solar capacity established in 2015, adding 461 megawatts of owned and purchased capacity for customers last year. Since 2007, Duke has supported more than 1,000 projects totaling more than 5,000 megawatts of solar generation. North Carolina is fourth in the country for installed solar capacity.
To support the growth, Duke Energy expanded its operations to include a call center specifically for solar-related interconnection requests. It has also increased its engineering, construction,and support staff for solar power expansion specifically. The company has invested approximately $7 billion total in solar and wind energy technology to date.
“We saw record installations of solar in 2015 across the United States,” SEPA President and CEO Julia Hamm said. “Our Top 10 survey results detail the scale of this growth, and the active role an increasing number of utilities are playing in it. Consumers want solar, and their interest is driving change and innovation at utilities nationwide.”
SEPA released its new rankings on Tuesday at the organization’s Utility Solar Conference in Denver. The rankings were derived from data from more than 300 utility companies throughout the nation.
