North Carolina ranks 3rd in Nation for Solar Power

Pretty hard to believe that North Carolina would come up number three in a list of the top solar producers when you add up the number of states that consist of mainly desert. But with recent contract signings between the Department of Navy and Duke Energy that will be the case. The new project at Camp Lejeune has helped to secure this rank by being the fourth largest installation in the state.

The facility sites on approximately 80 acres of land nestled between the Naval Hospital and the main gate and supplies the base some of their power needs but also is connected to the local power grid. The facility is currently classified as a model 2 facility, meaning it generates electricity on site which then flows to the external grid for community consumption. Consisting of 50,000 photo-voltaic panels the facility can produce 17 MW of direct current or 13 MW of alternating current which is enough to power around 2,000 homes.

Duke Energy spokesman Randy Wheeless mentioned that expansion of renewable energy will continue to grow, citing solar as being a major contributor. Duke Energy expects to start building a solar facility similar to Camp Lejeune at the Naval Support Activity Crane in Indiana at the end of this month. By 2020, the Department of Navy plans to have 50% of its power needs supplied by sources other than oil to limit dependence on other nations.