Duke Energy and ENN Group Sign EcoPartnership at U.S. State Department

WASHINGTON, May 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton presided over a signing ceremony in which Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK) and China-based ENN Group joined forces to form an EcoPartnership with the city of Charlotte, N.C., and the Chinese city of Langfang in Hebei Province.  

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20040414/DUKEENERGYLOGO )

The EcoPartnership program is administered by the U.S. Department of State and the People's Republic of China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC). It focuses on and encourages a wide range of collaborative public-private activities designed to stimulate innovation and sustainable economic development.

This EcoPartnership agreement follows a Jan. 18, 2011, announcement of a Duke Energy and ENN collaboration on the development of green cities in China and the U.S.  

The EcoPartnership will focus on cleaner energy generation, smart grid technologies, energy storage and energy efficiency solutions.

Duke Energy and ENN's initial EcoPartnership projects will involve testing of solar power generation, substation and community battery storage capabilities, grid management optimization and energy efficiency initiatives.

The larger EcoPartnership collaboration will be complemented by best-practice sharing at the municipal level. Specifically, the cities of Charlotte and Langfang (which is located approximately 40 miles southeast of Beijing) will collaborate on promoting energy efficiency education and encouraging local community action.

Others may join this EcoPartnership in the future, including universities, additional companies and other public entities.

David Mohler, Duke Energy's chief technology officer, and Dr. Zhongxue Gan, vice chairman and CTO of ENN Group, signed the EcoPartnership agreement in the presence of Secretary Clinton, Assistant Secretary of State Dr. Kerri-Ann Jones and NDRC Minister Zhenhua Xie. Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx and Langfang Mayor Aimin Wang also participated in the signing.

About Duke Energy Corporation

Duke Energy is one of the largest electric power holding companies in the United States. Its regulated utility operations serve approximately 4 million customers located in five states in the Southeast and Midwest, representing a population of approximately 12 million people. Its commercial power and international business segments own and operate diverse power generation assets in North America and Latin America, including a growing portfolio of renewable energy assets in the United States. Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is a Fortune 500 company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information about the company is available on the Internet at: www.duke-energy.com.

About ENN

ENN is pioneering innovative technologies that provide clean energy solutions for the world. It's the largest private clean energy solutions provider company in China.  Since its founding 21 years ago, ENN has grown into an integrated group of companies that delivers clean energy to tens of millions of customers and provides overall clean energy solutions to city governments and heavy industry. ENN has more than 100 subsidiaries in over 100 cities across China and around the world, and employs more than 26,000 people. Additional information about ENN is available on the Internet at: www.enn.cn.

SOURCE Duke Energy