Corning has entered into a 25-year power purchase agreement for solar-generated electricity produced by Duke Energy Renewables.
Corning will purchase 62.5 percent of the expected output of the facility, estimated to be 120,300 megawatt hours per year, beginning in the first quarter of 2016.
The new solar farm being constructed by Duke Energy Renewables is located in Conetoe, North Carolina.
The solar farm will be the largest solar-generating facility completed to date east of the Mississippi River.
Corning’s presence in North Carolina includes more than 3,000 employees across five locations, the company said.
Corning produced the first emission control substrate that enabled the auto industry to meet standards set in the Clean Air Act in 1972.
In 2006, Corning established its Global Energy Management (GEM) program, which drives efficient energy use and saved Corning more than $410 million in cumulative energy costs.
Patrick Jackson, director of Corning’s Global Energy Management program, said, “Today’s announcement is testimony to our corporate citizenship and is the first of what we hope to be a series of projects focusing on utilizing greener energy sources.”
Rajani Baburajan
editor@greentechlead.com