The solar array spans six acres and provides enough energy to support the equivalent of 100 homes.
PWC with a technical and economic analysis to gauge viability, costs, and project value, and assisted with the evaluation of program options. Although the Dewberry team was challenged by adverse weather in- cluding two hurricanes, the project was completed in 11 months. The Fayetteville PWC Community Solar project now serves as a pilot for other municipal and cooperative electric utilities to develop similar installations. “This is about the future. It’s long-term sustainability,” stated David Trego, Fayetteville PWC CEO and general manager, at the ribbon-cutting. “While our current customers will enjoy the ben- efits of this, it is our children who will truly have the benefit of a project like this in the long run.” Completed in 11 months, the design-build solar farm now serves as a pilot project for other municipalities.
ng inverters and a mini-battery storage combination.
Dewberry also assisted the Fayetteville PWC with establishing a maintenance program, primarily focused on cleaning the panels twice a year. With much of the equipment protected in waterproof conduit underground, extending from the inverters to the batteries to the trans- former, the system is designed to be low-maintenance and resilient from extreme weather. A Model for Community Solar Installations The Fayetteville PWC collaborated with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Community Solar for the Southeast project, led locally by the North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Center (NCCETC) and several partners to assist public power utilities in identifying solutions to provide community solar systems. NCCETC provided Fayetteville
RICK JONES is a construction manager in the Raleigh office of Dewberry.
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April 2021
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