British stone. St. Petersburg, Fla.-Duke Energy's Duette solar power plant in Florida is now operational, fulfilling the company's statewide commitment to expand its clean energy portfolio.

With a joint investment of more than US$2 billion, Duke Energy Florida’s solar power portfolio will include 25 grid-connected solar power plants, which will benefit all of the company’s 1.9 million Florida customers. By 2024, these projects will use about 5 million solar panels to provide about 1,500 megawatts of emission-free power generation.

"Customers want us to provide more renewable and cleaner energy. With another solar power station in operation, we are fulfilling this promise," said Melissa Seixas, president of Duke Energy, Florida. ) Say. "These investments will enable Florida customers to enjoy an increasingly resilient energy system and provide cleaner energy for everyone in our service area."

The Duette facility was built on approximately 520 acres of land in Manatee County, Florida, and was put into use on October 25-more than seven weeks ahead of the scheduled completion date. It is part of a $1 billion investment by Duke Energy Florida, which aims to provide customers with 700 MW of clean energy by 2022.

The project team completed more than 175,000 safe working hours to complete the Duette solar power plant. This 74.5 MW facility is composed of approximately 227,000 single-axis tracking solar panels, capable of generating enough electricity to power approximately 23,000 homes at peak production times each year.

The company is moving towards an important milestone of completing 10 new solar projects by 2022. Eight of these facilities are now in use, and the remaining two are under construction.

The company's 8 solar power plants that have been put into use can reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by more than 1 billion pounds each year.

In addition, the company announced that it will complete an additional 750 megawatts of solar power generation between 2022 and 2024 this year. This means another $1 billion in investment and the addition of 10 new solar sites. The locations of six sites have been announced, and another four sites will be selected in 2022.

By reducing the use of fossil fuels, these 10 projects are expected to reduce the emissions of global warming gases such as carbon dioxide by more than 700,000 tons per year.

Video of the installation of the 1 millionth solar panel at the Colombian solar power plant

Video from the Columbia factory, from drones

Energy storage system By 2022, Duke Energy expects to operate 6 battery sites in Florida, totaling more than 50 megawatts of energy storage. Five of the six sites are expected to be completed by the end of 2021.

Duke Energy’s energy storage plays an important and evolving role in how to provide energy to customers now and in the future. Through energy storage and microgrids, the company can integrate more renewable energy into the grid, helping to improve reliability and safety, while making customers affordable.

Duke Energy launched the Park & ​​Plug pilot program in 2018 to expand the use of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. Since then, approximately 600 electric car chargers have been added to public places and streets in Florida.

The DC fast charger is located in a strategic location connecting Florida's main and key secondary corridors and evacuation routes. This creates the critical infrastructure needed to adopt electric vehicles and helps reduce mileage anxiety.

To find an EV charger near you, please visit the Greenlots app.

Duke Energy Florida, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, has a diverse power generation portfolio of natural gas, coal and renewable energy, and provides approximately 10,200 megawatts of own power to approximately 1.9 million customers in a service area of ​​13,000 square miles.

Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK) is a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, and one of the largest energy holding companies in the United States. Its electric utilities serve 7.9 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky, with a total of 51,000 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas division serves 1.6 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio, and Kentucky. The company has 27,500 employees.

Duke Energy is implementing an aggressive clean energy strategy to create a smarter energy future for its customers and communities-the goal is to reduce carbon emissions by at least 50% by 2030 and achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The company is the top supplier of renewable energy companies in the United States and is expected to own or purchase 16,000 MW of renewable energy capacity by 2025. The company is also investing in major grid upgrades and expanding battery storage, and exploring zero-emission power generation technologies such as hydrogen and advanced nuclear energy.

Duke Energy was selected as one of Fortune's 2021 "World's Most Admired Companies" list and Forbes "America's Best Employers" list. For more information, please visit duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center contains press releases, fact sheets, photos and videos. Duke Energy’s lighting features stories about people, innovation, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

Media contact: Ana Gibbs Tel: 813.928.7263 Media hotline: 800.559.3853

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