The array at the Conover, N.C., property is made up of 16,948 solar panels on 28 acres, and the electricity produced, which will be sold to Duke Energy, will be enough to serve 500 homes annually. Construction of the solar farm began in November 2015 and concluded in June, with an expected life of up to 35 years.
Rock Barn Country Club & Spa in Conover, N.C., has installed a 5.25 megawatt solar farm that began operating November 18. The vast array comprises 16,948 solar panels on 28 acres.
All of the electricity produced by the solar farm will be sold to Duke Energy. The system is expected to generate more than 7.3 million kilowatt hours of clean energy—enough electricity to serve 500 homes annually—in its first year of operation. The system has an expected life of up to 35 years.
“We are very grateful for the opportunity to have partnered with Rock Barn’s owner, Don Beaver, on this project,” said Steve Melink, founder and CEO of Melink Corporation, the Cincinnati-based company that provides energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions for the commercial building industry. “At 5 megawatts, it is our largest solar PV project to date. And being located in North Carolina, it allows us to show our national capabilities. Solar power is the way of the future and we are proud to be helping lead the way.”
Rock Barn Properties is the owner/operator of Rock Barn Country Club & Spa, which includes two signature championship golf courses, 485 residences and an equestrian center.
“We explored development opportunities on some of our land that was otherwise unbuildable for commercial or residential, and identified this project as a good economic return and an environmentally friendly investment,” said Bill Parrish, vice president of Rock Barn Properties. “Through our subsequent due diligence process, we identified Melink Corporation as an outstanding partner for our solar project.”
Construction of the solar farm began in November 2015 and concluded in June, despite record precipitation in the Blue Ridge Mountain region of North Carolina in November and December. The solar farm has just received final regulatory approval to begin operations.
To learn more about the solar project and see the array from an aerial viewpoint, click here.
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