Duke Energy has issued a request for proposals for about 53 megawatts of utility-scale solar capacity to start operating in its South Carolina service areas by the end of 2016.
The RFP is part of Duke Energy’s Distributed Energy Resource Program, which was approved by the Public Service Commission on July 15. It gives bidders the flexibility to offer a power-purchase agreement to the company, and to provide a proposal through which Duke Energy would take ownership of the proposed project. The projects should be between 1MW and 10MW in capacity.
In a separate RFP, the company is seeking up to 5MW of solar capacity for its Shared Solar Program, a plan that will allow multiple customers to subscribe to the output of a specific solar facility and share in the economic benefits of the power produced. Projects should be greater than 250 kilowatts and no more than 1MW of capacity.
The company anticipates the Shared Solar Program will be particularly attractive to customers who want to receive the benefits of renewable energy but may not be able to install solar on their premises, such as renters or those who live in multi-family housing.
The deadline for both RFPs is mid-October.