Duke Energy seeks S.C. solar projects

Duke Energy issued a request for proposals Thursday for 53 megawatts of utility-scale solar energy projects in South Carolina.

The move helps fulfill a solar-energy development plan that South Carolina legislators adopted last year and expands Duke’s solar presence there.

Duke is seeking proposals in which the company would buy energy produced by solar farms or buy the project itself. Projects will have capacities of up to 10 megawatts each.

Separately, Duke is seeking up to 5 megawatts of solar capacity for its Shared Solar Program, which lets individual customers subscribe to the output of a solar farm. The program is expected to draw customers who can’t install solar panels at home.

The deadline for both proposals is mid-October. Details are on a Duke website.

Duke’s 720,000 South Carolina customers may also sign up starting Oct. 13 for rebates for installing rooftop or small-scale solar on their property. Rebates are $1 per watt, so a typical 5 kilowatt rooftop system would net a $5,000 rebate.

This story was originally published August 20, 2015 at 12:53 PM with the headline "Duke Energy seeks S.C. solar projects."