Solar power in North Carolina explained

Solar power has been increasing rapidly in the U.S. state of North Carolina, from less than 1 MW (megawatts) in 2007 to 6,152 MW in 2019, when it had the second-largest installed PV capacity of all states.^[1]

In addition to federal incentives, the state has a Renewable Portfolio Standard of 12.5% by 2021 and a state renewable energy tax credit, both of which have been credited with boosting solar installations.^{[2] [3] [4]}

A 2018 Smithsonian Magazine article described North Carolina as likely being the national leader in the "solar shepherd phenomenon"  - combining sheep farming with solar power plants to reduce the high costs of grass trimming.^[5]

According to a report from the Solar Energy Industries Association, as of June 2019, North Carolina generates 5.81% of its electricity through solar power, and ranks second (up from 3rd in 2018) in total installed photovoltaics.^[6]

Year !! style="background-color: #cfb;"

Total (MW) !	Installed (MW)	% Change
2007	0.7
2008	4.7	4	571%
2009	12.5	7.8	166%
2010	40	28.7	220%
2011	85.5	45.5	114%
2012	207.9	122.4	143%
2013	469	261.1	126%
2014	849	380	81%
2015	1,974	1,125	132%
2016	2,984	1,010	51%
2017	3,287.5	303.5	10%
2018	4,692.1	1,404.6	42.7%
2019	6,152.3	1,460.2	31%
2020	7,037.8	885.5	14%
2021	7,811.2	773.4	%
2022	8,179	367.8	%

ImageSize = width:420 height:240PlotArea = width:350 height:150 left:40 bottom:40AlignBars = late

DateFormat = x.yPeriod = from:0 till:6TimeAxis = orientation:verticalScaleMajor = unit:month increment:1 start:0

TextData = pos:(15,220) textcolor:black fontsize:M text:hrs pos:(205,25) textcolor:black fontsize:S text:Month pos:(90,230) textcolor:black fontsize:M text:Raleigh Sun Hours/day (Avg = 5.04 hrs/day)

Colors = id:yellow value:yellow

PlotData= width:20 textcolor:black bar:Jan color:yellow from:0 till:3.73 text:3.73 shift:(-10,60) bar:Feb color:yellow from:0 till:4.66 text:4.66 shift:(-10,70) bar:Mar color:yellow from:0 till:5.38 text:5.38 shift:(-10,75) bar:Apr color:yellow from:0 till:5.76 text:5.76 shift:(-10,80) bar:May color:yellow from:0 till:5.55 text:5.55 shift:(-10,75) bar:Jun color:yellow from:0 till:5.77 text:5.77 shift:(-10,80) bar:Jul color:yellow from:0 till:5.53 text:4.87 shift:(-10,75) bar:Aug color:yellow from:0 till:5.58 text:5.53 shift:(-10,75) bar:Sep color:yellow from:0 till:5.35 text:5.35 shift:(-10,75) bar:Oct color:yellow from:0 till:5.33 text:5.33 shift:(-10,75) bar:Nov color:yellow from:0 till:4.34 text:4.34 shift:(-10,60) bar:Dec color:yellow from:0 till:3.51 text:3.51 shift:(-10,50)

Source: NREL^[7]

Currently operating

The following tables show some of the major solar power projects currently operating in North Carolina (NC).

Dominion Energy

North Carolina solar projects^[8]

Name	Location	MW	Current status	modules	Footprint (acres)
Clipperton	Sampson County	5	Operational as of 2017 (Nov.)	56,640	28.52
Fremont	Wayne County	5	Operational as of 2017 (Nov.)	21,128	29.76
Gutenberg Solar	NorthamptonCounty	79.9	Operational as of 2019 (Sept.)	287,430	1,126
IS37	Anson County	79	Operational as of 2017 (Aug.)	344,056	550
Moorings 2	Lenoir County	5	Operational as of 2017 (Nov.)	58,400	36
Morgans Corner	Pasquotank County	20	Operational as of 2017 (Nov.)	81,054	110
Mustang Solar	Moore County	5	Operational as of 2018 (July)	21,300	30
Pecan Solar	NorthamptonCounty	74.9	Operational as of 2018 (Dec.)	929,100	1,050
Pikeville	Wayne County	5	Operational as of 2017 (Nov.)	56,640	30
Summit Farms	Currituck County	60	Operational as of 2016 (Dec.)		650
Wakefield Solar	Wake County	5	Operational as of 2017 (Dec.)	22,300	30

Duke Energy

Duke Energy Renewables

Name	Location	MW	Construction completed	PV Modules	Electricity purchaser (offtaker)
Battleboro Solar^[9]	Edgecombe County	5	2015-04	23,300	Dominion North Carolina Power
Bethel Price Solar^[10]	Pitt County	5	2013-12	23,000	Dominion North Carolina Power
Capital Partners, Phase I^[11]		20	2014-12	93,000	George Washington University American University GWU Hospital
Capital Partners, Phase II^[12]		33.5	2015-12	147,300	George Washington University American University GWU Hospital
Conetoe II^[13]	Edgecombe County	80	2015-09	375,000	Lockheed-Martin (38%)^[14] Corning (62%)^[15]
Creswell Solar^[16]		14	2015-02	66,500	Dominion North Carolina Power
Davie Solar^[17]	Davie County	29	2017	63,308
Dogwood Solar^[18]	Halifax County	20	2013-12	93,000
Everett's Wildcat Solar^[19]	Martin County	5	2014-12	23,300	Dominion North Carolina Power
Halifax Solar Power Project^[20]	Roanoke Rapids	20	2014-12	100,000	Dominion North Carolina Power
Holiness Solar^[21]	Murphy	1	2011-11	4,242	Tennessee Valley Authority
Martins Creek Solar^[22]	Murphy	1		4,400	Tennessee Valley Authority
Millfield Solar^[23]	Beaufort County	5	2013-11	27,450	North Carolina Eastern Municipal Power Agency
Monroe Solar^[24]	Union County	60	2017
Murfreesboro Solar^[25]	Murfreesboro	5	2011-12	19,960	North Carolina Electric Membership Corporation
Shawboro Solar^[26]	Currituck County	20	2015-12	95,000	Dominion North Carolina Power
Shelby Solar^[27]	Shelby	1	2010-05	4,522	North Carolina Eastern Municipal Power Agency
Sunbury Solar^[28]	Gates County	5	2015-08	23,000	Dominion North Carolina Power
Taylorsville Solar^[29]	Taylorsville	1	2010-10	4,224	EnergyUnited
Tarboro Solar^[30]	Edgecombe County	5	2015-04	23,000	Dominion North Carolina Power
Washington Airport Solar^[31]	Beaufort County	5	2013-12	23,000	North Carolina Eastern Municipal Power Agency
Washington White Post Solar^[32]	Beaufort County	12.5	2012-12	53,000	North Carolina Eastern Municipal Power Agency
Wingate Solar^[33]	Murphy	1	2011-08	4,340	Tennessee Valley Authority
Windsor Cooper Hill Solar^[34]	Bertie County	5	2013	23,000	Dominion North Carolina Power

Duke Energy Regulated Utility

Name	Location	MW	Construction completed	PV modules
Camp Lejeune Solar^[35]	Onslow County	17.25	2017-03	55,000
Elm City Solar^[36] ^[37]	Wilson County	40	2016-06	487,000
Fayetteville Solar^[38]	Cumberland County	23	2015-12	105,000
Warsaw Solar^[39]	Duplin County	65	2016-06	850,000

On September 15, 2014, Duke Energy committed US$500 million to an expansion of solar power in North Carolina.^[40] Announced projects include:

• Warsaw Solar Facility (65 MW) – Duplin County, developed by Strata Solar. This was scheduled to be the largest PV plant east of the Mississippi River as of the announcement date.
• Elm City Solar Facility (40 MW) – Wilson County, developed by HelioSage Energy
• Fayetteville Solar Facility (23 MW) – Bladen County, developed by Tangent Energy Solutions

In addition, Duke Energy plans to purchase energy from five new projects:

• 48 MW – Bladen County, developed by Innovative Solar Systems
• 48 MW – Richmond County, developed by FLS Energy
• 20 MW – Scotland County, developed by Birdseye Renewable Energy
• 19 MW – Cleveland County, developed by Birdseye Renewable Energy
• 15 MW – Beaufort County, developed by Element Power US

Other Generators (20MW+)

Recurrent Energy
(A subsidiary of Canadian Solar)

Name	Location	MW	Construction completed
NC 102^[41]	Cabarrus County	74.8 (102 MWP)	2018
IS-42^[42]	Cumberland County	71 (92 MWP)	2018

Generation

Using data available from the U.S. Energy Information Agency's Electric Power Annual 2017^[43] and "Electric Power Monthly Data Browser",^{[44] [45] [46] [47]} the following table summarizes North Carolina's solar energy posture.

Solar-electric generation in North Carolina!Year!Facilities!Summer capacity (MW)!Electric energy (GWh or M kWh)!Capacity factor!Yearly growth of generating capacity!Yearly growth of produced energy!% of NC renewable electric energy!% of NC generated electric energy!% of U.S. Solar electric energy

	2018	523	3982	6997	0.201	18.7%	25.4%	53.5%	5.2%	10.5%	-	2017	481	3355	5579	0.190	37.7%	63.1%	51.6%	4.3%	10.5%	-	2016	411	2437	3421	0.16	69.6%	149%	32.9%	2.6%	9.5%	-	2015	262	1436.8	1374	0.11	112.5%	88.5%	15.8%	1.07%	5.5%	-	2014		676	729	0.123	103%	111%	9.10%	0.60%	4.10%	-	2013	84	333.2	345	0.176	190.8%	148.2%	3.5%	0.27%	3.82%	-	2012	38	114.6	139	0.199	156.4%	717.7%	2.16%	0.12%	3.21%	-	2011	15	44.7	17	0.049	27.7%	54.6%	0.27%	0.01%	0.94%	-	2010	9	35	11	0.066	1067%	120%	0.16%	0.01%	0.91%	-	2009	3	3	5	0.190	0%	150%	0.07%	0.00%	0.56%	-	2008	3	3	2	0.152	0%	0%	0.04%	0.00%	0.23%	-	2007	0	0	0	0	0%	0%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	-

Capacity factor for each year was computed from the end-of-year summer capacity.2018 data is from Electric Power Monthly and is subject to change.

NC Utility Scale solar generation (GWh, Million kWh)^[48] ^[49]
Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sept	Oct	Nov	Dec	Total
2011													17
2012	2	2	4	6	6	6	9	7	9	17	23	48	139
2013	10	17	24	21	32	34	34	32	36	40	30	35	345
2014	31	41	56	58	74	67	69	75	68	88	49	54	729
2015	63	52	95	110	160	151	167	156	109	100	76	135	1,374
2016	168	175	348	300	265	320	336	448	328	254	182	298	3,421
2017	265	335	423	477	534	482	537	480	473	423	372	314	5,115
2018	402	356	514	632	629	677	643	658	440	483	369	308	6,111
2019	410	398	661	680	772	753	838	749	683	556	481	472	7,451
2020	477	492	641	872	873	850	955	766	650	660	552	484	8,274
2021	517	520	817	1018	1085	990	1037	986	916	775	715	548	9,922
2022	635	719	969	1157	1173	1251	1174	1111	1048	938	664	534	11,373
-

Beginning with the 2014 data year, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) has estimated the distributed solar-photovoltaic generation and distributed solar-photovoltaic capacity.^[50] These non-utility-scale appraisals evaluate that North Carolina generated the following amounts of additional solar energy:

Estimated distributed solar electric generation in North Carolina^[51]

!Year!Summer capacity (MW)!Electric energy (GWh or M kWh)

	2018	140.1	212	-	2017	114.9	186	-	2016	109.7	167	-	2015	71.7	84	-	2014	56.8	72

Duke Energy rebates

On January 22, 2018, Duke Energy Renewables proposed a $62 million rebate program for both residential and nonresidential customers. It was the first of three programs Duke is proposing as part of "Competitive Energy Solutions for North Carolina" legislation, signed into law in 2017 by Gov. Roy Cooper. The program requires approval from the North Carolina Utilities Commission.^[52]

Proposal details

!Electricity customer!Eligible rebate!Maximum rebate

	Residential (10 kilowatts or less)	60 cents per watt	$6,000	-	Nonresidential	50 cents per watt	$50,000	-	Nonprofit entity	75 cents per watt	$75,000

Customers would also have the option of leasing solar equipment from a third-party.

On April 16, 2018, the North Carolina Utilities Commission approved the program. It applies to Duke Energy's residential, nonresidential and nonprofit customers who installed a solar system and a bi-directional meter on their property on or after January 1, 2018.^[53]

See also

• Solar power in the United States
• Renewable energy in the United States

External links

• North Carolina solar calculator
• Renewable energy policies and incentives

Notes and References

1. http://www.eia.gov/electricity/annual /2017/06/19
2. Web site: Utility Scale Solar Energy: North Carolina's Emergent Success. Lauren Shwisberg. The Energy Collective. February 27, 2014. September 5, 2014.
3. Web site: NC quietly becomes a star on solar energy stage. Daniel Gross. The News & Observer. July 5, 2014. September 5, 2014.
4. Web site: Solar farms taking root in North Carolina. Steve DeVane. The Fayetteville Observer. July 18, 2014. September 5, 2014.
5. Molly A. Seltzer. "There's a New Job in the Solar Industry." Smithsonian Magazine. February 6, 2018.
6. Web site: Solar Spotlight – North Carolina . Solar Energy Industries Association. October 18, 2019.
7. Web site: PV Watts. NREL. May 17, 2012.
8. Web site: North Carolina Solar Projects . dominionenergy.com . January 31, 2018.
9. Web site: Solar Power Projects . duke-energy.com . June 18, 2017.
10. Web site: Bethel Price Solar Project Highlights . duke-energy.com . September 10, 2015.
11. Web site: Solar Power Projects . duke-energy.com . June 18, 2017.
12. Web site: Solar Power Projects . duke-energy.com . June 18, 2017.
13. Web site: Conetoe II . sunenergy1.com . June 18, 2017.
14. Web site: Massive Duke Energy solar farm signs contract with Lockheed Martin . bladenonline.com . June 18, 2017.
15. Web site: Duke Energy signs large out-of-state deal for power from N.C. solar farm . bladenonline.com . June 18, 2017.
16. Web site: North Carolina solar was hot in 2015; Duke Energy led the charge . news.duke-energy.com . June 18, 2017.
17. Web site: Duke looking to the sun . November 2, 2017 . Davie County Enterprise Record . March 26, 2018.
18. Web site: Dogwood Solar Project Highlights . duke-energy.com . September 11, 2015.
19. Web site: Solar Power Projects . duke-energy.com . June 18, 2017.
20. Web site: Duke Energy acquires Halifax Solar Project in Eastern North Carolina . duke-energy.com . September 11, 2015.
21. Web site: Holiness Solar Project Highlights . duke-energy.com . September 11, 2015.
22. Web site: Martins Creek Solar Project Highlights . duke-energy.com . September 11, 2015.
23. Web site: Millfield Solar Project Highlights . duke-energy.com . September 11, 2015.
24. Web site: Duke Energy delivered sunshiny days in North Carolina in 2017 . duke-energy.com . March 26, 2018.
25. Web site: Murfreesboro Solar Project Highlights . duke-energy.com . September 11, 2015.
26. Web site: Solar Power Projects . duke-energy.com . June 20, 2017.
27. Web site: Shelby Solar Project Highlights . duke-energy.com . September 11, 2015.
28. Web site: Solar Power Projects . duke-energy.com . June 18, 2017.
29. Web site: Taylorsville Solar Project Highlights . duke-energy.com . September 11, 2015.
30. Web site: Solar Power Projects . duke-energy.com . June 21, 2017.
31. Web site: Washington Airport Solar Project Highlights . duke-energy.com . September 11, 2015.
32. Web site: Washington White Post Solar Project Highlights . duke-energy.com . September 10, 2015.
33. Web site: Wingate Solar Project Highlights . duke-energy.com . September 10, 2015.
34. Web site: Windsor Cooper Hill Solar Project Highlights . duke-energy.com . September 10, 2015.
35. Web site: Camp Lejeune Solar Project . duke-energy.com . June 18, 2017.
36. Web site: Duke Energy unveils 450-acre Elm City solar farm . wilsontimes.com . June 18, 2017.
37. Web site: Duke opens Elm City solar farm . wilsontimes.com . June 18, 2017.
38. Web site: Duke Energy solar site near DuPont now online . wilsontimes.com . June 18, 2017.
39. Web site: Duke Energy opens second largest solar farm in the state in Warsaw . witn.com . June 18, 2017.
40. Web site: Duke Energy commits $500 million to North Carolina solar power expansion . December 11, 2014 . Duke Energy.
41. Web site: NC 102 - Recurrent Energy . October 18, 2019.
42. Web site: IS-42 - Recurrent Energy . October 18, 2019.
43. "Electric Power Annual State Data"http://eia.gov/electricity/data/state 1990-2017 Existing Name Plate and Summer Capacity by Energy Source and State retrieved April 11, 2019
44. "Electric Power Monthly Data Browser" http://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly Table 1.17B retrieved March 15, 2019
45. "Electric Power Monthly Data Browser "http://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly Report 1.14 retrieved March 17, 2019
46. "Electric Power Monthly Data Browser "http://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly Report 1.13 retrieved March 17, 2019
47. "Electric Power Monthly Data Browser "http://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly Report 1.6 retrieved March 17, 2019
48. "Energy Information Administration (EIA)"http://eia.gov/electricity/data/browser Table 1.17B Net Generation from Solar by state by sector retrieved April 11, 2019
49. Web site: Electricity Data Browser. February 2, 2022. eia.gov.
50. http://www.eia.gov/electricity/annual "Electric Power Annual"
51. http://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly/epm_table_grapher.cfm?t=epmt_1_17_b "Electric Power Monthly"
52. Web site: Duke Energy proposes $62 million solar rebate program . . March 26, 2018.
53. Web site: State OKs Duke Energy's $62 million solar rebate program: Do you qualify?. . May 23, 2018.