Maryland company buys NC site for solar farm

LINWOOD, N.C. — A Maryland company has bought a site in North Carolina for a photovoltaic solar farm.

The Winston-Salem Journal reported that SunEdison LLC has started grading on the 357-acre site. SunEdison is the largest solar-energy company in North America.

The Beltsville, Md., company plans to spend $173 million. Besides 80 construction jobs, the company plans to have three employees.

Charlotte-based Duke Energy Corp. said 15 months ago it had signed agreements with SunEdison to buy the entire output of the solar farm for 20 years. Production is expected to begin by December 2010.

The farm will produce 18 megawatts of energy, with Duke customers getting 16 megawatts, or enough power for more than 2,600 homes. Some of the energy would be lost during the transfer
process.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)