Also on the rise: Black Hills Energy wants to bill solar owners for the “real cost” of their energy, and an online Solar 101 course from SUNY can accommodate more than 50,000 students worldwide.
May 12, 2021
North Carolina regulators recently approved Duke Energy's 5 MW solar project, the first company to be in a landfill near Asheville.
The state supply commission gave the project the green light to start construction. Duke Energy and Buncombe County will partner on the project. Duke Energy will own and operate the 5 MW solar power plant in Woodfin.
The Woodfin system will consist of a solar power photovoltaic capacity of approx. 5 MW alternating current / 6.3 MW direct current. The PV modules are attached to a ballast foundation system with 20-degree fixed shelving, solar inverters, electrical protection and switching devices and step-up transformers. Additional equipment includes circuit breakers, combiners, surge arresters, conductors, disconnectors and connecting cables.
The Woodfin plant is expected to produce more than 9,413 MWh per year, which corresponds to a capacity factor of 21.5%. The life of the asset is 25 years. The system will be connected to a single 24 kV distributor from Duke Energy.
South Dakota solar fee?
Black Hills Energy wants a new tariff that would do this Charging customers with solar panels the “real cost” of their energy. According to a report by South Dakota Public Broadcasting, the utility company costs people who generate their own electricity more money for the rest of their customers.
The company wants state utility regulators to approve a new tariff that calculates the market price for solar customers for the energy they generate. The utility company would buy excess energy for about 25% less than its market price.
Solar scientist
An online solar fundamentals course offered by the SUNY College of Environmental Sciences and Forestry on the Coursera platform has reached a milestone of more than 50,000 enrollments since its launch in 2019.
The course was taught by Dr. Neal Abrams, Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry at New York State University, with teaching design and technical support from the Open Academy.
The course has a global reach and has been subtitled in eight languages in addition to English. It is one of three solar energy courses for Coursera developed by Abrams to provide learners with a foundation on how to design photovoltaic systems. The second course, Solar Energy System Design, started last summer. A third course will be offered this summer.
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