Duke Energy Renewables completes Black Mountain Solar Project in Arizona

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Jan. 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy Renewables, part of Duke Energy's Commercial Businesses, announced today the completion of its 10-megawatt (MW) Black Mountain Solar Power Project near Kingman, Ariz.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20040414/DUKEENERGYLOGO )

"The Black Mountain solar farm joins our growing portfolio of projects in Arizona," said Duke Energy Renewables President Greg Wolf. "With Black Mountain now producing electricity, Duke Energy has established a solid presence in the state with 37 MW of solar power in commercial operation. We're pleased to be bringing clean, renewable energy from the Black Mountain project to Arizona homes and businesses."

The utility-scale solar project in Mohave County began providing power to customers of UniSource Energy Services (UES) in mid-December. UES is purchasing the power generated at the Black Mountain site through a 20-year agreement. It is the largest solar array in UES's renewable energy portfolio and is expected to produce enough energy to power about 1,900 homes annually.

"We've dedicated significant time and effort to embrace solar energy as a clean, cost-effective renewable resource for our customers," said Paul J. Bonavia, chairman and CEO of UES and its parent company, UNS Energy Corporation. "The Black Mountain system shows how we can expand our renewable energy portfolio while also investing in our community and help to create jobs."

Duke Energy Renewables purchased the Black Mountain photovoltaic project from SOLON Corp. in May 2012. SOLON designed and constructed the solar array and will continue to handle operations, monitoring and maintenance of the system.

"We commend Duke Renewables as well as UniSource Energy Services for their commitment to renewable energy," said Jared Schoch, vice president and general manager of power plants at SOLON Corporation. "The completion of Black Mountain is another success story of industry partners working together to provide cost-effective solar to utilities, homes and businesses. We are especially proud that this project created more than 250 local jobs during its construction."

The Black Mountain Solar Power Project consists of 42,000 PV panels and is Duke Energy Renewables' 13^th wholly owned commercial solar project. In addition to Black Mountain, Duke Energy Renewables has four other commercial solar projects in Arizona:

*The Prescott Valley Solar Project was developed by INDU Solar Holdings, LLC, a joint venture formed by Duke Energy Renewables and Integrys Solar, LLC.

Since 2007, Duke Energy has invested more than $2.5 billion to grow its commercial wind and solar business.

About Duke Energy Renewables
Duke Energy Renewables, part of Duke Energy's Commercial Businesses, is a leader in developing innovative wind and solar energy generation projects for customers throughout the United States. The company's growing portfolio of commercial renewable assets includes 13 wind farms and 13 solar farms in operation in nine states, totaling more than 1,300 megawatts in electric-generating capacity.

Learn more at www.duke-energy.com/renewables.

Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK) is a Fortune 250 company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information about the company is available on the Internet at: www.duke-energy.com.

About UniSource Energy Services
UniSource Energy Services, a subsidiary of UNS Energy Corporation (NYSE: UNS), provides electric service to about 91,000 customers in Mohave and Santa Cruz Counties. UES also provides natural gas to more than 146,000 customers in Mohave, Yavapai, Coconino, Navajo and Santa Cruz Counties.  For more information, visit uesaz.com.  To learn more about UNS Energy, visit uns.com.

About SOLON Corporation
SOLON Corporation (www.SOLON.com) is a leading provider of utility-scale and large commercial photovoltaic (PV) system solutions to the North American market.  SOLON delivers complete and cost-effective turnkey PV systems to its partners with a streamlined approach from project development, design and construction to financing and operation. With NA headquarters in Tucson, AZ and offices in Phoenix and San Francisco, SOLON is driven by a passion for innovation and a commitment to providing superior solar solutions with unrivalled quality and reliability.  Founded in 2007, SOLON Corporation is a subsidiary of the SOLON Group, a leading international provider of solar solutions for residential, commercial and utility-scale applications. The SOLON Group, one of the oldest pure play solar companies in operation, was established in 1996 and operates subsidiaries in Germany, Italy and the U.S. with more than 600 employees worldwide.  For more information, visit www.SOLON.com.

SOURCE Duke Energy