China’s ENN, Duke Energy to build U.S. solar projects

Charlotte, N.C.-based Duke Energy and China’s ENN Group said today they are planning to jointly develop commercial solar power projects in the United States.

The companies plan to focus on utility-scale solar farms and commercial distributed generation solar projects, as part of an agreement signed today. Distributed generation systems produce electricity near where the energy is consumed, instead of at large, central power plants. Financial details were not disclosed.

The agreement follows a memorandum of understanding announced last month where the two companies committed to accelerating the development of low-carbon and clean energy technologies.

"Duke Energy and ENN seek to not only accelerate the development of solar power in the U.S., but help achieve economies of scale and drive down the cost of renewable energy,” said Duke Energy CEO Jim Rogers in a news release.

Duke Energy’s (NYSE:DUK) commercial business unit, Duke Energy Generation Services, plans to work with ENN to develop, own, and operate the solar projects. The unit develops wind, solar, and bio-power projects, currently owning and operating more than 630 megawatts of wind power projects in the United States (see Duke Energy's ninth wind farm to add 200 MW in Wyoming). It plans to add another 350 MW by the end of next year.

With bio-power, Duke Energy Generation Services is developing wood-waste-to-electricity power plants in the United States through Adage, a company it formed last year with Paris-based Areva (see Areva, Duke in biomass joint venture).

Today’s agreement is expected to expand Duke Energy Generation Services’ investments in renewable energy, including wind and bio-power, and commercial transmission, according to the release.

ENN’s integrated group of companies provides various forms of clean energy in China and on a global level. Its subsidiary ENN Solar Energy produces silicon thin film solar modules and integrated solar power stations (see Applied wins 5-year ENN Solar agreement and ENN Solar shows off tandem junction tech at Intersolar).

Cleantech developments making news in the past 24 hours

• Metabolix, ADM to open new bioplastics factory
• Rockwool nears construction on Indian insulation factory

View the last week of cleantech developments here | Subscribe to full feed