A solar farm was built in Beaufort County last year and a company is hoping Pitt County is next.
The Pitt County planning board voted to push forward plans for a solar farm site. County commissioners will review the plans at their March 25th meeting. Andrew Foukal works for Heliosage, the company looking to install the farm. He says it's too early in the process to reveal a potential location, but says it could be anywhere from 30 to 80 acres, and cost $20-25 million. He says North Carolina is one of the prime states for solar farms.
"They actually produce better in slightly cooler climates. So, they lose efficiency if you put them in the desert southwest compared to a little farther north," said Foukal.
Foukal says another advantage to building in our state is we have a state level tax credit which allows Heliosage to maximize the energy they produce. He says ideally if everything is approved construction would start by the end of this year.
