Hundreds of Solar Farm Jobs Opening in Duplin Co.

 

WARSAW, DUPLIN COUNTY -The economy in Duplin County is getting a shot in the arm with 500 jobs being created to run a large solar farm near Warsaw.The rural area of Warsaw is what makes it the attraction for one of the largest solar farms in the country, giving hundreds of people the opportunity to make a living in one of the top industries in the state.Those applicants turned in their resumes and interviewed hoping to become an employee with one of the largest solar providers in America, Strata Solar.

Eric Owens lives right across the road from where the new solar farm will be built on the outskirts of Warsaw. He saw a sign advertising for jobs, and applied at the job fair.

“It's a small knit community so it'd probably help a lot of people with jobs, definitely,” said Owens.

Strata Solar is based in Chapel Hill. While it has solar farms across the U.S., most of its solar projects stay right here at home in North Carolina.

Now that one of the largest solar farm projects in the county is about to be built near Warsaw, 500 new jobs will be created.

“I think that we are definitely ahead of the curve, North Carolina is for the East Coast,” said Strata Solar Human Resource Manager Maria Barker.

We asked her why North Carolina is a front runner in the solar power industry.

“A lot of it has to do with the weather, the land, tax credits and incentives that will soon be going away but that's been a big part of it over the last couple years,” said Barker.

Temporary jobs will also be created to build the solar farm.

We talked to Warsaw Town Manager Shawn Condon who says the solar farm is estimated to be finished by fall 2015.
 

 

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