- Duke Energy Progress ranks #3 among 300 U.S. electric utilities in 2015 for adding new solar power for customers - Duke Energy increases resources to respond to tremendous growth - Company expects more solar projects in 2016

CHARLOTTE, N.C., April 13, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy continues to be a national leader for the amount of solar energy connected to the grid for its retail customers.

In the Top 10 utility solar lists compiled by the Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA), Duke Energy Progress (DEP) was ranked third among all utility companies for bringing on new solar capacity during 2015.

"Our customers are experiencing the benefits of Duke Energy's work to support the growth and expansion of solar generation in this region," said David Fountain, Duke Energy's North Carolina president. "We are proud to put more and more solar energy to work for our customers in a way that works for everyone."

DEP's 461 megawatts of owned and purchased capacity for customers in 2015 helped it climb to third in the nation after being fourth the previous year. Overall, North Carolina is fourth in the nation for installed solar capacity. You can view the rankings here.

"We saw record installations of solar in 2015 across the United States. Our Top 10 survey results detail the scale of this growth, and the active role an increasing number of utilities are playing in it," said Julia Hamm, SEPA's President and CEO. "Consumers want solar, and their interest is driving change and innovation at utilities nationwide."

The rankings were announced Tuesday at the organization's Utility Solar Conference in Denver. The ninth annual survey includes figures from more than 300 utilities across the country.

Since 2007, more than 1,000 projects representing more than 5,000 megawatts of generation have sought interconnection in Duke Energy's North Carolina service territory. To support this growth, Duke Energy has added a Renewable Service Center, a customer call center designed to help with the high volume of residential solar-related interconnection requests. The company has also increased its engineering, support resources and construction crews for solar power.

During 2015, Duke Energy worked on a $500 million solar expansion in North Carolina, including sites in Bladen, Duplin, Onslow and Wilson counties.

Already in 2016, Duke Energy has announced new solar projects in Davie, Rowan and Union counties. Overall, Duke Energy utilities purchases solar energy from almost 800 facilities in North Carolina - in addition to 3,500 solar rooftop customers.

Nationwide, Duke Energy has invested more than $4 billion in solar and wind energy and plans to invest another $3 billion over the next five years. In addition to North Carolina, the company is currently looking to expand utility-owned projects in Florida, Indiana and South Carolina.

Overall, Duke Energy companies own or purchase more than 1,700 megawatts of solar capacity.

About Duke Energy
Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is a S&P 100 Stock Index company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information about the company is available at duke-energy.com.

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About SEPA
The Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA) is an educational nonprofit that facilitates the utility industry's smart transition to a clean energy future. Through education, research and collaboration SEPA enables the integration and deployment of solar, demand response, other distributed energy resources, and supporting technologies onto the grid.