(Military houses with rooftop solar at Shaw Air Force Base. Photo courtesy Duke Energy)

Duke Energy has partnered with a South Carolina U.S. Air Force base and with contractors on a project installing solar photovoltaic (PV) panels on more than 280 homes within the military housing complex.

Shaw Air Force Base, partner Hunt Southern Group and affiliate Hunt Alternative Energy Investments worked with Duke Energy on installing 5,865 solar panels on 284 homes at the complex. This solar energy—estimated at about 2.4 million kWh per year—is expected offset approximately 40 percent of electricity consumption in Shaw military housing.

“We couldn’t be more excited about this innovative project at Shaw Air Force Base,” said John Hoyt, Hunt Military Communities Vice President. “Installing these solar panels will not only reduce our dependence on foreign fuels, but will allow us to save money in utilities, money which will be directly reinvested back into housing. This is definitely a win-win situation.”

The PV project at Shaw Air Force Base results from the legislation passed by South Carolina’s General Assembly in 2014, commonly known as Act 236. The law provided a framework for customers to install solar on their homes and businesses through strategic programs like the net metering incentive and rebate offerings.

“This is part of our ongoing effort to support the US Air Force in meeting its long-term energy goals across the country,” explained Abe Weiner, Hunt Alternative Energy Investments. “Working closely with the Air Force, Hunt Military Communities, Duke Energy and our funding partners, the Shaw Solar project exemplifies how public-private partnerships are able to greatly enhance energy sustainability and resiliency.”

Duke Energy’s Solar Rebate Program helped with the costs of the Shaw project and has provided more than $50 million in rebates as an extra incentive for customers who wanted to go solar across its South Carolina footprint.

“We are proud to be the energy provider for Shaw Air Force Base and Hunt and support growing solar energy in South Carolina through our Solar Rebate Program,” said Kodwo Ghartey-Tagoe, Duke Energy’s South Carolina state president. “The new panels will bring economic and environment benefits to the base, its families, and South Carolina – which is exactly what we envisioned from Act 236 and what we want to continue in the state going forward.”

Shaw Air Force Base joins one of more than a dozen military privatized housing developments throughout the nation to add solar paneling to its homes.