Solar power continued to grow in North Carolina in 2020 with more Duke customers using solar power than ever before.
Driven largely by their $62 million solar rebate program, over 5,500 homeowners installed private solar systems in 2020. Today, more than 18,000 Duke Energy customers have a private solar system.
“Our customers want more renewable energy and Duke Energy is making that a reality for them,” said Stephen De May, Duke Energy’s North Carolina president. “We’re also connecting large-scale solar plants – owned and operated by Duke Energy and other developers.”
During 2020, the company connected almost 350 megawatts of solar power capacity, which could power roughly 60,000 homes. Major projects in 2020 included Duke’s 69-megawatt (MW) Maiden Creek solar facility in Catawba County and the 25-MW Gaston County solar facility in Bessemer City.
Duke now owns over 40 solar facilities in North Carolina, making our state the 3rd leading solar producer in America – trailing only California and Texas.
Almost 60% of Duke Energy’s generation in the Carolinas is now carbon-free, with nuclear, solar and hydroelectric power being the leading sources of carbon-free generation.
In 2020, the company set a new goal of doubling that figure by 2025. Today, the company has a portfolio of roughly 57,000 MW of generation, which includes all fuel sources.