Duke Energy is planning to install solar panels across North Carolina, starting in 2009. The $100 million plan involves installing photovoltaic solar panels at 850 sites: schools, shopping malls, manufacturing facilities, offices and homes. The panels are slated for both roof and ground installations.

The new solar panels are expected to generate at least 16 megawatts — enough to power 2,600 homes. The panels would be owned by Duke Energy, and the company would be responsible for all installation and maintenance. Duke Energy will offer compensation for the right to install the solar panels. Homeowners, businesses and other organizations that allow the use of their roofs or land will receive payment based on the size of the area used as well as the actual amount of electricity generated at their location.

Although Duke Energy is still waiting on the approval of the North Carolina Utilities Commission, necessary before the plan can be implemented, it is making some plans to move forward. Currently, Duke Energy is seeking bids from suppliers for the solar panels and other equipment the company will need for its solar plan. It is also looking for companies to handle installation and maintenance services.

This project, if successful, will mark Duke Energy's first major involvement in distributed generation — generating electricity close to customers instead at centralized power plants. It isn't, however, Duke Energy's first renewable energy efforts. Among other projects, Duke Energy is working with General Motors to create the infrastructure for plug-in electric vehicles. Duke Energy is one of the largest electric companies in the U.S., serving four million customers and generating 35,000 megawatts of electricity, including 283 megawatts of wind energy it just acquired with the purchase of Catamount Energy (along with another 1,750 megawatts currently under development).

Duke Energy is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina and has a significant portion of its business in North Carolina and nearby states. If the new North Carolina solar project proves effective, it's likely that Duke Energy will create similar distributed generation projects in other areas where it does business. Duke Energy already has some wind energy facilities — it would not be a stretch for the company to try out a distributed wind generation project along the lines of the current solar project. Considering that most of Duke Energy's installations in North Carolina are nuclear, coal-fired and natural gas, seeing a switch to renewable energy is especially impressive.