CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The City of Charlotte is paying to have a massive solar farm built in Davidson County.
This week, leaders approved a contract for the South Davidson Solar Project as part of their Strategic Energy Action Plan.
Next fall, construction will start on the 537-acre solar farm in Denton, North Carolina, which will create clean energy for the Queen City.
"This is a really critical step for the city to achieve the climate goals that they adopted in the Strategic Energy Action Plan," Sustain Charlotte's Meg Fencil told WCNC Charlotte.
The solar farm will help city government buildings be less reliant on fossil fuels.
"It will provide the greenhouse gas reduction benefit equivalent to taking about 24,000 cars off the road per year," Fencil said.
The city has a goal of making all city-owned buildings 100% zero carbon emissions by 2030. Documents prepared by city staff members say this plan brings them up to 19% of that goal.
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"By investing in a solar farm, the city is really setting the example and putting their money where their mouth is, and making sure that we can have a cleaner energy future," Fencil said.
Councilman Tariq Bokhari voted against the solar farm project Monday. He told WCNC Charlotte he supports clean energy but couldn’t get behind the cost.
“When I did my homework on this deal, I didn’t see any material cost savings on our current energy grid consumptions that would warrant nearly a $30 million investment from taxpayers,” Bokhari wrote in a statement.
Davidson County leaders approved the solar farm in 2022. County planners told WCNC Charlotte they were not aware the energy, provided by Duke Energy, would go to Charlotte.
The contractor behind the farm, Cypress Creek, said the project will create more than 100 jobs during construction and two permanent jobs. The company aims to start construction in the Fall of 2025 and be up and running by Fall 2026.
Contact Julia Kauffman at jkauffman@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.