Duke Energy Renewables, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, has acquired the 150 MW North Rosamond solar project in Kern County, Calif., from Clearway Energy Group. This is Duke Energy Renewables’ sixth solar generation facility in Kern County.
“North Rosamond is a great addition to our growing solar portfolio,” says Rob Caldwell, president of Duke Energy Renewables. “California is a leader in renewable energy, and we’re pleased to support their efforts by continuing to provide the state with cost-efficient renewable energy to meet residents’ needs.”
The U.S. Bancorp Community Development Corporation, the tax credit division of U.S. Bank; M&T Bank’s Commercial Equipment Finance Group; and Guardian Life Insurance Company of America provided tax equity financing to the project.
The project, which contains over 477,000 solar panels, is located on approximately 1,188 acres outside of Rosamond, Calif. Construction is nearly complete, and the project is expected to achieve commercial operation in early May.
Energy from the project, which will be the largest in Duke Energy Renewables’ fleet, will be sold to Southern California Edison under a 15-year agreement. The facility’s design, procurement of PV modules, inverters, balance of plant systems and construction of the project is being performed by First Solar Electric California’s engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) subsidiary under a fixed-price EPC agreement for the project.
