WRAL now making power in Garner

Parent company Capitol Broadcasting Company installed a 1-megawatt solar farm at the site of WRAL-TV's main broadcast antenna in Garner to generate electricity and will sell it back to Progress Energy Carolinas. 

Over the course of a year, CBC expects to generate enough power for about 100 homes.

WRAL.com paired the solar farm launch with a web page where anyone can monitor the cloud conditions, shade and temperature impacts on the energy generated in real-time, along with an explanatory graphic on how solar power works.

Progress is purchasing the electricity as part of its state-required mandate to generate power from renewable sources. Lloyd Yates, Progress president and chief executive officer, said the CBC site is part of a larger effort to increase the use of solar as an energy source.

Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

The solar array is the first in the state to be constructed around a TV station tower.

“We make it company policy to be as innovative as possible when it comes to our investments and our impact on the community,” said Jim Goodmon, president and chief executive officer of Capitol Broadcasting Company. “We hope our solar array at our Garner satellite station will be utilized as a learning tool for everyone from school children to executives in similar industries to learn about renewable energy."

Installation was done by Baker Renewable Energy.