A deal reached between Duke Energy, the U.S. Department of the Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps will see the creation of a 13MW PV plant being built at the Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in Onslow County, North Carolina.
The plant will be owned and maintained by Duke Energy Progress (DEP) and is expected to be completed in 2015. Built on a 32-hectare site, the project will be connected to the grid at a Duke Energy-owned station on military property. Camp Lejeune will purchase power from Duke Energy Progress.
Rob Caldwell, senior vice president, distributed energy resources, for Duke Energy, said: “This project strengthens Duke Energy's commitment to bring more solar power to our customers, while advancing the Department of the Navy's (DON) interest in installing more renewable energy at military bases around the U.S.”
Robert M. Griffin, executive director of U.S. Navy’s renewable energy program office, said: “Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus set an aggressive but critical goal for the DON to produce or procure one gigawatt of renewable energy by the end of 2015. Through an effective partnership with DEP, and once both parties sign the lease agreement, the project at Camp Lejeune will be another opportunity to bring renewable energy online, providing greater resource availability, and diversity for Camp Lejeune and the surrounding community.”
Charlotte-based Crowder Construction Services will provide engineering, procurement and construction services. The plant will be comprised of panels supplied by SolarWorld Americas and will produce enough energy to power over 3,000 homes.
