209th largest plant in North Carolina · 6987th nationally
Balsam is a solar power plant in North Carolina with a nameplate capacity of 5.0 MW. It generates roughly 8.8k MWh per year — enough to power about 840 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 20% reflects intermittent or peaking operation.
| Plant Name | Balsam |
|---|---|
| Operator | Sre Utility Solar 1, Llc |
| City | Sanford |
| County | Lee County |
| State | North Carolina |
| ZIP | 27330 |
| Coordinates | 35.45889, -79.17389 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5375 | Solar Photovoltaic | Solar | 5.0 MW | Operating | 2015 |
| NERC Region | SERC |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Duke Energy Progress East |
Utility-scale solar farms convert sunlight directly into electricity using photovoltaic panels. They produce zero direct emissions and have no fuel cost, but generation is variable — peaking at midday and falling to zero at night. Capacity factors typically run 18–28% in good locations.