Solar  -  September 16, 2020

Duke Univ. sources 101 MW of solar power through utility program

Duke University announced Sept. 15 that they entered into a renewable power agreement for 101 MW of solar power from three solar facilities in North Carolina.

This move makes the university the first academic institution to execute a renewable energy power agreement with Duke Energy under the utility’s Green Source Advantage (GSA) program. Pine Gate Renewables will be in charge of building the solar projects, which are expected to be online by 2022.

“This partnership (with Pine Gate Renewables) is a key step toward carbon neutrality,” Duke President Vincent E. Price said in a statement. “Duke is committed to building on our history of leadership in protecting the environment, a vitally important priority for our university – and for humanity – as we grapple with the challenges of climate change.”

The GSA program was implemented following a 2017 piece of North Carolina legislation offering things such as solar rebates and solar leasing for customers from projects connected to the Duke Energy grid. There are 600 MW of capacity available under the program and currently, 30 MW are still available to eligible customers

This agreement and others that Duke University has executed will help the university in achieving its target of becoming carbon neutral by 2024. In 2009, the university launched their Climate Action Plan, which is targeting an 84% reduction in on-campus emissions by 2024, with the remaining emissions covered by carbon offsets.

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