The Pumpjack and Wildwood solar power projects, located near Bakersfield, Calif., will each comprise a standalone 20 MW AC photovoltaic facility and a new 115 kV substation for interconnection to the grid. The projects’ technology package features 171,000 x BYD 305 W polycrystalline modules, 40 x 1 MW NX Advanced Energy inverters, and Array Technologies Inc. single-axis trackers.

“Swinerton is thrilled to be working with the team at Duke Energy Renewables,” said George Hershman, Renewable Energy vice president and division manager for Swinerton. “Their deep experience and professionalism make them an ideal project partner." 

Design and procurement are already under way, and both projects are expected to achieve commercial operation by year-end. Once the projects are complete, Duke Energy Renewables will own and operate more than 65 MW of solar power in California. This will bring Duke Energy's total US-installed solar capacity to 185 MW at 23 utility-scale facilities across the country. The Pumpjack and Wildwood projects will more than double Duke Energy Renewables' solar power capacity in California.

Duke has 20-year power purchase agreements in place to sell the power from both sites to Southern California Edison.