Duke Energy has announced yet another solar farm to be built in North Carolina. But this one is unique: it’s the first solar farm the utility company has ever built on a military base.
The Camp Lejeune solar farm will be a 13-megawatt facility that could power as many as 3,000 homes. That is relatively small, when compared to the 65-megawatt Duke Energy facility under construction in Duplin County.
The project serves two purposes: For Duke Energy, it helps them reach the state-mandated renewable energy portfolio standards of 12.5 percent by 2021. For the U.S. Navy, it helps them reach a stated goal of procuring one gigawatt of renewable energy worldwide by the end of this year.
The solar farm will cover 30 acres at Camp Lejeune. It is expected to come online next year, if it is approved by the state Utilities Commission.