The largest solar photovoltaic (PV) project at Eastern North Carolina has been completed, and is producing power from the top of a big rooftop in New Bern.
ESA Renewables Completes 1.26MW Rooftop Solar Array
This PV project with a 1.26 MW capacity was constructed and will be run by ESA Renewables. The power produced through the array will be bought by Progress Energy Carolinas for its customers.
The project is a part of the Progress Energy’s effort to satisfy the renewable portfolio standard of North Carolina. To meet the law requirements, the company has acquired over 240 MW of renewable energy, which includes landfill, methane, biofuels and others, through the contract.
This solar project will produce approximately 1.5 million kWh of power in a year. Thus carbon dioxide emissions will be decreased by over 1,000 t per year, which is comparable to the greenhouse gas emissions of about 200 vehicles annually. The anticipated energy output per year is equivalent to the energy utilization of nearly 100 homes.
The array uses poly-crystalline modules of the Canadian Solar company and covers almost 177,160 sq. ft of the roof area. Hence, this project is considered to be the largest installation of the Progress Energy in the east, which also includes ground-mounted installations. ESA has its own corrective and preventive monitoring system that offers real time alerts and data to the plant.