CHARLOTTE – Duke Energy is expanding its clean energy offerings.
Today, the company’s subsidiary, Duke Energy One, announced that it plans to acquire a portfolio of distributed fuel cell technology projects from Bloom Energy Corporation.
That includes approximately 37 megawatts of Bloom Energy Servers, otherwise known as “the Bloom Box.” A solid oxide fuel cell power generator, it takes a variety of input fuels, including natural has or biogas, to produce electricity at or near the site where it will be used.
According to the company, a single cell generates 25 watts and reduces greenhouse-gas emissions by comparable amounts to zero-emission wind and solar power on an annual basis.
“Commercial and industrial customers want resilient, clean energy at predictable costs and solutions tailored for their business needs – and with this technology, we can provide just that,” Swati Daji, Duke Energy’s senior vice president of customer solutions and strategies, said in a statement.
“We are excited to give our customers a more affordable, reliable, innovative generation source with Bloom Energy’s innovative fuel cells, and we look forward to further developing and customizing more options in the future.”
Over the next 18 months, the two companies will deploy the servers at more than 30 sites across a portfolio of customers, including hospitals, technology companies, data centers and universities.
Bloom Energy ©2019
Bloom Energy ©2019
Duke Energy has already secured long-term power purchase agreements with customers primarily located in California, Connecticut, Maryland and New York.
The company said the alliance with Bloom Energy had the “potential” to be a “long-term strategic alliance,” marking another step forward in expanding energy products and services available for commercial and industrial customers.
Already, Duke Energy offers a $62 million rebate program for residential, commercial and nonprofit customers in North Carolina, helping 1,700 customers go solar in 2018 — the capacity limit for both residential and nonresidential customers.
“Duke Energy’s investment is a significant validation of the Bloom Energy Server value proposition,” Randy Furr, chief financial officer at Bloom Energy, said in the release. “Now, more than ever, commercial and industrial customers need power that is reliable, resilient and affordable. As one of the largest electric power holding companies in the U.S., Duke Energy understands that dynamic perfectly, and we are delighted to be partnering with the organization.”
