Duke steps up $100m rooftop solar project

US power giant Duke Energy announced this week that it is proceeding with its $100m plan to install solar panels at up to 850 sites across North Carolina, including homes, schools, stores and factories.

The company said it filed an application last Friday with the state's Utilities Commission requesting formal approval for the programme.

Under the initiative, Duke Energy plans to install about 20MW of solar panels on the rooftops or property of domestic and business customers. It claims that once the electricity generated has been converted to alternating current, the distributed generation network will provide 16MW of renewable energy, which is enough to power 2,600 homes.

The company said that customers agreeing to have panels fitted would be " rewarded" based on the size of the installation.

Keith Trent, group executive and chief strategy, policy and regulatory officer at Duke Energy, said that the initiative would help the company meet new state regulations that require the utility to meet 12.5 per cent of customers' energy needs from renewable sources or through energy efficiency gains by 2021.

He added that it would also act as an important pilot project, enabling the company to "evaluate the role of distributed generation on our system, and gain experience in owning and operating renewable energy resources".