Randolph County Solar Farm Features New Module Technology
Cypress Creek Renewables and Randolph Electric Membership Corporation celebrated Earth Day today by showcasing one of the North Carolina’s first solar projects to use bifacial modules. The Hopewell Friends solar site in Randolph County includes 3,942 bifacial modules that are now producing energy from both sides of the panel.
In addition to generating enough energy for 130 Randolph County homes annually, the Hopewell Friends solar site is producing data on bifacial module performance. The data will be used as a part of the Cypress Creek’s ongoing work with the U.S. Department of Energy to study bifacial system technology and performance, with the goal of accelerating the industry’s ability to adopt this cost-reducing technology in solar plant design.
“The cost of energy generated from solar has decreased by nearly 50 percent over the last five years, and we believe bifacial modules are a critical part to further driving down costs and making solar the most affordable energy choice across the country,” said Evan Riley, Vice President of Operations and Strategic Initiatives at Cypress Creek Renewables. “We are excited that our work with the Department of Energy and with our partners on this project, Randolph EMC and LONGi Solar will be used to further the industry’s knowledge of bifacial module performance and how best to design bifacial solar projects.”
Jenya Meydbray, CEO of PV Evolution Labs and partner in the research and development work with the Department of Energy, added, “Bifacial solar technology represents the largest step function improvement in solar cost of electricity since the introduction of trackers. PVEL is thrilled to be supporting Cypress Creek in assessing and minimizing technical risk in equipment selection.”
Randolph EMC is purchasing the power produced by the Hopewell Friends solar farm.
“We are pleased to be a part of one of the first solar projects in the state to include bifacial modules,” said Fred Smith, VP Economic Development and Compliance, Randolph EMC. “As a not-for-profit electric cooperative, Randolph Electric Membership Corporation finds value in providing a diverse portfolio of electricity generation resources and we are excited about this technologically advanced facility.”
Cypress Creek is a leading developer, investor, builder and operator of solar energy generating assets in regulated and deregulated markets across the United States. The company has developed more than 260 solar facilities in North Carolina. In 2018 alone, Cypress Creek built 474 MW of solar in North Carolina representing 54% of all utility scale solar added to the state last year.
Bifacial solar modules at Hopewell Friends solar.
