Home / North America / United States of America / Orbit Energy Charlotte

Orbit Energy Charlotte

Biomass power plant in North Carolina, United States of America. Approximate location 35.2625, -80.8117.

BiomassNorth CarolinaUnited States of America

Orbit Energy Charlotte is a 5 MW biomass power plant in North Carolina, United States of America. It is operated by Entropy Investment Management LLC. Based on reported annual generation of 2 GWh, it can supply roughly 571 homes. It ranks #6673 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2016, it is around 10 years old — relatively modern. In context, biomass supplies about 1.0% of United States of America's electricity; the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

5Source-backed capacity
2GWh reported / yr
571homes powered
2016commissioned (~10 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0058638.

Data status

Known data

FacilityOrbit Energy Charlotte WRI
CountryUnited States of America · North Carolina WRI
Coordinates35.2625, -80.8117 WRI
FuelBiomass WRI
MW installed capacity5 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerEntropy Investment Management LLC WRI
Commissioned2016 WRI
GWh reported / yr2 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#6673 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#114 of 184 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.29× · 18 MW median · 184 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent571 calculated from reported generation
Climate15.7°C · HDD 1,655 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 35/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

TechnologyNot available not in dataset
GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset
CO₂ emissionsNot available not in dataset

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Data provenance

The capacity and/or fuel fields on this page include a source-backed provenance label from GEM, an official registry, Wikidata, OSM, or a cross-source match.

capacity: Wikidata P2109 nameplate capacity; fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 5 MW, Orbit Energy Charlotte is below the median biomass plant in United States of America (18 MW). Biomass plants burn organic material such as wood, residues or waste-derived fuel to raise steam; they are dispatchable and counted as low-carbon where the feedstock is sustainably sourced.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Reported generation trend

2016: 0 GWh20162017: 3 GWh20172018: 0 GWh20182019: 2 GWh20193 GWh

Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Entropy Investment Management LLC.

Local climate & thermal context

This biomass plant burns organic material (wood, residues) to raise steam for a turbine. It sits in a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 35.3°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

15.7°Cannual mean temp
1,655heating degree-days (base 18°C)
848cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
224 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 5 °CJF: 7 °CFM: 11 °CMA: 16 °CAM: 20 °CMJ: 24 °CJJ: 26 °CJA: 25 °CAS: 22 °CSO: 16 °CON: 11 °CND: 6 °CD26 °C

Heating degree-days here run 33% below the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.

Climate heat-demand index: 37/100 — this site sits in the mid third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

Site climate & environmental severity

For a plant’s outdoor hardware — heat-recovery steam generators (HRSG), expansion joints, valves, flanges and their insulation — the local climate sets how fast unprotected steel and coatings degrade. This site sits in a moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
35/100environmental-severity index
21.6°Cseasonal temperature swing
321 kmdistance to coast

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #114 largest biomass power plant of 184 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 184 biomass power plants in this dataset, together about 6,324 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 35.2625, -80.8117 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Orbit Energy Charlotte?

Orbit Energy Charlotte is a 5 MW source-record biomass power plant in North Carolina, United States of America, commissioned in 2016.

How much electricity does Orbit Energy Charlotte generate?

Orbit Energy Charlotte generates about 2 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Orbit Energy Charlotte power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 571 homes.

Who operates Orbit Energy Charlotte?

Orbit Energy Charlotte is operated by Entropy Investment Management LLC.

Built from open public data; no personal information. Operate this site? Request a correction or removal.