CHARLOTTE – Duke Energy Renewables announced today it acquired three solar power projects from SunPower Corp. totaling 55 megawatts (MW) in late December.
The sites include the 20-MW Rio Bravo I, the 20-MW Rio Bravo II, and the 15-MW Wildwood Solar II solar power plants. They are located in Kern County, California, adjacent to two existing solar sites owned by Duke Energy Renewables.
“These solar projects are excellent facilities that increase our solar presence in California by 50 percent," said Rob Caldwell, president, Duke Energy Renewables and Distributed Energy Technology. “As we continue to grow our footprint in the state, we’re pleased to provide cost-efficient, sustainable power systems that contribute to California’s leadership in renewable energy.”
The solar projects were placed in service in December, 2016, and Southern California Edison is purchasing the power generated by the plants under 20-year agreements.
"Forward-thinking utilities today are diversifying their energy portfolio with increasing amounts of solar capacity," said Ty Daul, SunPower senior vice president, Americas Power Plants. "We are proud to partner with Duke Energy to serve more California customers with affordable, emission free solar power generated from these facilities."
The sites consist of high-efficiency SunPower solar panels. More than 2,600 MW of solar power plants worldwide are using SunPower’s leading solar technology.
Duke Energy Renewables growing California operations
In December, Duke Energy Renewables also completed its 20-MW Longboat Solar Power Project in San Bernardino County, California, which was acquired from EDF Renewable Energy and announced in March of 2016.
The following is a summary of Duke Energy Renewables’ California solar projects acquired and completed in 2016:
|
Project name Location |
In service date |
Size (AC) |
Number PV Panels |
Customer |
|
Rio Bravo I Kern County |
Dec. 2016 |
20 MW |
59,770 |
Southern California Edison |
|
Rio Bravo II Kern County |
Dec. 2016 |
20 MW |
59,770 |
Southern California Edison |
|
Wildwood II Kern County |
Dec. 2016 |
15 MW |
48,200 |
Southern California Edison |
|
Longboat San Bernardino County |
Dec. 2016 |
20 MW |
84,000 |
Southern California Edison |
In addition, Duke Energy Renewables has six other solar power projects in California that began operations prior to 2016:
|
Project name Location |
In service date |
Size (AC) |
Customer |
|
Sunset Reservoir San Francisco |
Dec. 2010 |
5 MW |
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission |
|
Highlander Twentynine Palms |
June 2013 |
21 MW |
Southern California Edison |
|
Pumpjack Kern County |
Dec. 2014 |
20 MW |
Southern California Edison |
|
Wildwood Kern County |
Dec. 2014 |
20 MW |
Southern California Edison |
|
Seville I Imperial County |
Dec. 2015 |
20 MW |
San Diego Gas & Electric |
|
Seville II Imperial County |
Dec. 2015 |
30 MW |
Imperial Irrigation District |
About Duke Energy Renewables
Duke Energy Renewables, part of Duke Energy’s Commercial Portfolio, is a leader in developing innovative wind and solar energy generation projects for customers throughout the United States. The company’s growing portfolio of commercial renewable assets includes 20 wind projects and 55 solar facilities in operation in more than a dozen states, totaling about 2,900 megawatts in electric-generating capacity.
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About SunPower
As one of the world's most innovative and sustainable energy companies, SunPower Corporation (NASDAQ:SPWR) provides a diverse group of customers with complete solar solutions and services. Residential customers, businesses, governments, schools and utilities around the globe rely on SunPower's more than 30 years of proven experience. From the first flip of the switch, SunPower delivers maximum value and superb performance throughout the long life of every solar system. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, SunPower has dedicated, customer-focused employees in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North and South America. For more information about how SunPower is changing the way our world is powered, visit www.SunPower.com. SUNPOWER and the SUNPOWER logo are registered trademarks of SunPower Corporation in the U.S. and other countries as well.