America’s largest solar panel manufacturer, SolarWorld AG, has sold two of its Californian solar farms to Duke Energy Renewables, the commercial offshoot of U.S. electricity giant Duke Energy.
Duke announced it has purchased SolarWorld’s twin Desert Star Solar Projects, to be renamed Highlander Solar 1 and 2, expanding the company’s solar generation capacity to over 100 megawatts.
Financial details of the transaction have been withheld.
Duke plans to combine the two plants into a single 21 megawatt capacity facility generating enough clean electricity for 4000 households.
Highlander 1 and 2 utilise 100,188 SolarWorld Sunmodule solar panels manufactured in the company’s Hillsboro, Oregon factory and mounted on SolarWorld’s Suntrac single-axis trackers. According to Duke Energy, when fully operational the project will rank among the California’s largest operating PV solar installations.
The Highlander project is part of the company’s long-term plan to become a major player in the U.S. renewable energy market. With the acquisition of the Highlander project, Duke Energy Renewables now owns 15 solar plants and 15 wind farms in 10 states, totalling 1,700 megawatts of clean energy capacity.
“Highlander will be the company’s largest commercial solar farm in the nation,” said Duke Energy Renewables President Greg Wolf. “It enlarges our footprint in a key U.S. renewables market while delivering affordable, zero-emission solar power to help the state’s customers meet their renewable energy goals.”
Energy Matters reported on the initial procurement and construction phases of the Desert Star Solar Project by SolarWorld AG in September last year, and work at the site is still ongoing. The plant will begin commercial operation by the middle of the year, with all power generated sold to Southern California Edison under a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA).
“This project will be an asset in the portfolio of Duke Energy, a nationally recognized leader in the field of clean-energy development,” said Kevin Kilkelly, president of SolarWorld Americas.
