Bad Creek Hydro
Bad Creek Hydro Parking Lot
About the project
Background
Hollowed into a South Carolina mountain 29 years ago, the engineering wonder Bad Creek hydroelectric plant supplies power to 850,000 homes. Duke Energy designed the hydroelectric plant inside a mountain below Lake Jocassee in the northwest part of South Carolina near the Blue Ridge Mountains. At the plant, a pumped-storage hydroelectric station uses the same water over and over again, making more efficient use of water resources. This is important because hydroelectric plants have been criticized in the past for disrupting the local ecosystem and adding pollutants to the local water sources. However, due to this technology, the Bad Creek hydroelectric plant is able to curtail most of these issues.
This ambitious project by Duke Energy is a huge contribution to the future sustainability of the state. According to a study looking at nearly 500 reservoirs worldwide by the International Hydropower Association, hydroelectric power has significantly lower median greenhouse emissions than coal and gas power plants, even when accounting for greenhouse emissions caused by construction.
Design & Planning
To help in the mission of sustainability, the power plant in South Carolina installed 8 Cegonia 20W fixtures in their parking lot. The Cegonia fixture has a rotatable solar panel and LED module, ideal for areas with a lot of trees or insufficient sunlight. Our client angled the solar panels toward the sun for more solar energy intake. To learn more about the importance of solar panel angles, please read Soltech’s guide on solar panel angle optimization.
With the installation of solar Cegonia fixtures, the hydroelectric plant has been able to accomplish many of their goals.
- Preserving of the natural ecosystem by avoiding trenching and wiring needed for traditional on-grid lighting fixtures
- Become more sustainable by using natural energy sources rather than more traditional ones.
- And further offsetting their carbon footprint
Our Vision
With Soltech’s solar parking lot lighting fixtures, the goal is not only to make businesses more sustainable but to also provide such fixtures at a competitive price. Soltech is committed to helping all companies prepare for a greener tomorrow without breaking their wallets today.