DILLON COUNTY, SC (WBTW) – Pine Gate Renewables partnered with Duke Energy’s shared solar program to dedicate a solar farm to the Whitney M. Slater Foundation.

The solar farm, named after Whitney Slater, has been designed to serve low-income families in Dillon County.

Whitney Slater was a nursing student at NC State, and was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009.

“When she came home from college she felt a lump in her chest,” said Slater’s mother, Loretta. “She wanted to educate people on this, and she started doing seminars.”

Slater’s mother said the family lived near two power plants, and the toxins from the plants contributed to her daughter’s illness.

“She kind of woke up me, and my mother’s, eyes because we were living there before she came along,” she explained. “And then started educating other people in the community,” she continued. “Before then, you know, nobody talked about it, but when she contracted and passed away everyone was talking about it.”

Slater said before her daughter passed away in 2011, she made it her mission to raise awareness about breast cancer, and environmental health.

“If they didn’t know about  environmental health, and climate change, and all that then it started the conversation going,” Ms. Slater said.

Ms. Slater said her daughter would have been proud of the solar farm.

“She would be amazed, especially so many solar panels that are going to help so many of the community,” she said as she walked around the farm.

Duke Energy Spokesperson, Ryan Mosier, said the solar farm has been online for a couple of months.

“This facility itself is going to feed into the shared solar program that Duke Energy Progress has,” Mosier explained. “That’s a really great opportunity for customers who can’t necessarily put solar panels on their home, or live in an apartment, to participate in the renewable marketplace as well.”

Mosier said the solar farm can produce enough energy to power 1200 homes, and that through the program, some costs would be eliminated for the new customers.

“There are some discounts involved,” he said. “Some up front fees, and costs are eliminated.”

Mosier said the Whitney M. Slater Solar Facility is the first solar farm in the state to use the Duke Energy solar share program.

“The next step is to learn lessons from how this one goes,” he said. “This is innovative, it’s the first step. We’re going to do it in other places, but this is the first.”

You can apply to the program here.