Duke Energy completes 17MW solar plant at Indiana naval base

May 19, 2017
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
Left to right: Duke Energy Indiana president Melody Birmingham-Byrd, Commander Timothy Craddock, lieutenant governor Suzanne Crouch; John Kleim, executive director, Department of the Navy’s Resilient Energy Programme Office. Source: Duke Energy

North Carolina’s Duke Energy has completed a 17MW solar plant at the US Navy’s Support Activity (NSA) Crane facility in Indiana.

Duke Energy will own and provide O&M services for the plant, which is just south of Bloomington and comprised of 76,000 PV modules spread over a 59 hectare site.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

Yesterday, the Navy lieutenant governor Suzanne Crouch joined officials from Duke Energy to cut the ribbon at the plant. However, Duke has been planning the facility since 2016. In exchange for providing the land for the project, NSA Crane will receive in-kind consideration in the form of electrical infrastructure upgrades, such as a motor-operated disconnect switch, and a microgrid feasibility study.

“This solar power plant helps provide our customers with a more balanced energy mix using both traditional fuel sources and renewable energy sources,” said Melody Birmingham-Byrd, president of Duke Energy Indiana. “We are pleased to partner with the Navy on a project that will deliver clean energy to Indiana customers, and improved energy security for the Navy.”

“The solar project at Naval Support Activity Crane will serve as a catalyst for future energy infrastructure projects for the Navy, as well as bringing greater energy management to our state, spurring innovation and growth,” added Crouch.

16 June 2026
Napa, USA
PV Tech has been running PV ModuleTech Conferences since 2017. PV ModuleTech USA, on 16-17 June 2026, will be our fifth PV ModulelTech conference dedicated to the U.S. utility scale solar sector. The event will gather the key stakeholders from solar developers, solar asset owners and investors, PV manufacturing, policy-making and and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out the PV module supply channels to the U.S. out to 2028 and beyond.

Read Next

January 9, 2026
The Chinese Ministry of Finance and the Taxation Administration issued an adjustment of export rebate policies for solar PV products and other items.
Premium
January 9, 2026
PV Tech Premium spoke with Crux on the trends to look forward in 2026 in the clean energy transferable tax credit market.
January 9, 2026
The US has withdrawn from a number of UN climate organisations, including the Framework Convention on Climate Change, International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
January 9, 2026
The Governor of Illinois, JB Pritzker, has signed a clean energy bill into law that will boost solar PV and energy storage investments in the state, among others.
January 8, 2026
ENGIE and Ampion added new solar capacity, Reactivate plans to build on landfill sites and Pivot has completed the first phase of a portfolio.
January 8, 2026
US renewables developer Adapture Renewables has secured US$233 million in tax equity from US Bank to support its 441MW Titanium solar PV project portfolio.

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
February 3, 2026
London, UK
Solar Media Events
March 24, 2026
Dallas, Texas
Solar Media Events
April 15, 2026
Milan, Italy
Solar Media Events
June 16, 2026
Napa, USA
Solar Media Events
November 24, 2026
Warsaw, Poland