Under agreements just announced between Duke Energy, major solar project developers, and clean energy associations, there will be substantially more solar energy coming online over the next two years — and future solar interconnection requests will be reviewed more quickly.

These deals are subject to approval by the North Carolina Utilities Commission and other regulatory boards. When approved, they will resolve persistent complaints about Duke’s solar review process and keep new projects moving more efficiently. Projects already in the pipeline totaling several hundred megawatts should come online in 2021 and 2022. Both items represent good news for renewable energy development in North and South Carolina.

The negotiations which produced the final consensus agreements included major individual solar development businesses as well as associations including the North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association and the North Carolina Clean Energy Business Alliance.