What we buy
Ranges we buy on this page
This guide explains how a generating or storage project connects in Duke Energy's Carolina territories and what that process means for an owner's transformer. It is written for North Carolina plant engineers, utility asset managers, facility directors, EPC contractors, and demolition crews.
| Phase | kVA | Voltage | Fluid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-phase | 10 - 333 kVA | up to 25 kV | Liquid or dry |
| 3-phase | 15 - 20,000 kVA | 34.5 kV | Liquid or dry |
Who we buy from
Six kinds of seller
- Recyclers
- Electrical contractors
- Equipment dealers
- End users
- Demo contractors
- Distributors
Fast offers
A written offer the same business day, based on your photographs.
Dedicated logistics
Our own crew, trailer and crane, not a brokered haul.
No broker fees
One buyer from first call to cleared pad, with nothing skimmed.
How it works
Six steps from photograph to payment
- 01
Take pictures
Photograph the nameplate, the inside of the cabinet and the tank from both ends. Four frames on a phone are enough to price most units.
- 02
Send them to us
Email or text the photographs with the site address and whether the unit is still energised. We reply the same business day with questions or a number.
- 03
Review the offer
The offer names the unit, the site, the price and the pickup window. It is written, dated and good for thirty days unless the unit changes hands.
- 04
We schedule freight
A crew, a trailer and a crane if the pad needs one. You get the date and the arrival window, and the site does not have to close for it.
- 05
Testing on arrival
Winding resistance, insulation resistance and a turns ratio check, plus oil analysis where the unit is liquid-filled. Results travel with the unit.
- 06
Get paid
Payment is released against the signed bill of sale and the scale ticket, by check or ACH, with the paperwork copy left on site.
What we handle
The parts sellers dread
Rigging
Crane, skates and a route survey for anything that will not roll onto a trailer.
Oil containment
Pans, absorbent and a spill plan before a drain plug is touched.
Bill of sale
A document that clears a lien, a lease or a bankruptcy file, not a handwritten note.
PCB paperwork
Testing and manifesting for pre-1979 oil, handled before the unit moves.
On the ground
What it is
Duke Energy interconnection is the process for reviewing and authorizing a generating or storage project's connection to the electric system. In North Carolina, first identify whether the site falls under Duke Energy Carolinas or Duke Energy Progress.
The applicable process depends on the project and connection type.
The transformer sits within a larger electrical design, not a standalone approval. Duke's review may address the point of interconnection, export capacity, protective relays, grounding, and required system changes.
A generator step-up transformer or battery project transformer must match the approved design before the project can operate.
Local reality
Why it matters when you sell
An interconnection agreement does not establish ownership of every transformer behind the fence. At a Duke-connected North Carolina site, compare the agreement, equipment purchase records, and one-line diagram.
Confirm whether the tank belongs to the project owner, Duke, a lessor, or another party before arranging removal.
Removing a project transformer can change the configuration described in Duke's interconnection documents. For an operating solar plant or battery site, coordinate the proposed change through the applicable utility process.
Preserve the approved one-line, relay records, and nameplate photographs so the equipment's service history remains traceable.
Around the site
The numbers
Record transformer kVA or MVA, primary and secondary voltage, frequency, impedance, tap positions, and winding connection exactly as shown on the nameplate.
A Duke interconnection application may describe project output in kW or MW; those figures are not interchangeable with the transformer's apparent-power rating on its nameplate.
A 13.8 kV winding is not a substitute for a 12.47 kV winding merely because both serve medium-voltage equipment. Compare the approved Duke project drawings with the actual ratio, BIL, grounding arrangement, and impedance.
Shipping weight and oil volume belong in the removal plan, not the interconnection capacity calculation.
Where it sits
Common mistakes
One mistake is treating an earlier Duke approval as permission to move the transformer to another project. Interconnection review concerns a particular site and electrical configuration.
A different feeder, grounding method, inverter group, or protection scheme can require a different evaluation even if the transformer nameplate remains unchanged.
Another mistake is disconnecting the transformer before collecting Duke correspondence and project records. An unreadable nameplate, missing test report, or undocumented winding repair leaves avoidable gaps.
Photograph the bushings, radiators, cable compartments, grounding connections, and identification plates before demolition removes labels or separates the tank from its accessories.
On the ground
How it affects value
Interconnection records help establish whether a transformer has a documented path to reuse, but Duke approval is not a transferable equipment certification. Matching voltage, impedance, winding connection, and condition matter.
A complete test package supports evaluation; an approval letter alone does not prove the winding insulation is sound.
For failed equipment from a Duke-connected project, identify the actual failure mode: bushing flashover, winding fault, overheating, or tank leakage. Keep relay event records and oil test results where available.
Transformer Buyers NC buys used, surplus, failed, and obsolete transformers anywhere in North Carolina, with evaluation based on documented equipment characteristics.
Local reality
What to do next
Start with the Duke account or project identifier, interconnection agreement, approved one-line diagram, and transformer nameplate. Separate utility-owned equipment from owner-owned equipment on a marked drawing.
If replacement or project retirement is planned, confirm the applicable Duke notification and review requirements before scheduling electrical disconnection or crane work.
After the project team establishes ownership and the required utility coordination, build the removal package. Include dimensions, shipping weight, fluid records, access photographs, and a qualified crew's isolation plan.
Note whether a lowboy can reach the Duke-connected site's transformer pad and whether radiators or bushings need separate handling.
Get started
Get an offer in minutes
Five fields is all it takes. Photographs help, but a nameplate and a town are enough to start.
No fee, no obligation. We reply the same business day.
Tell us what you have
We reply the same business day.
Questions
Straight answers
Equipment types
Does Duke approval transfer with a removed transformer?
Do not assume it does. Duke interconnection approval addresses the specified project and connection configuration, not unrestricted use of a transformer elsewhere. Keep the original approval documents as service-history records, but have the receiving project's engineer verify equipment suitability and the applicable interconnection requirements.
Service area
Which Duke utility serves my North Carolina project?
Check the project's utility account, interconnection application, or agreement for Duke Energy Carolinas or Duke Energy Progress. Do not select the process from a mailing address alone. Use the identified utility's applicable requirements and confirm the connection point shown on the project one-line diagram.
Payment
What records should stay with a battery transformer?
Preserve the nameplate, approved Duke project one-line, factory and field test reports, oil records, and repair history. Include the winding connection and grounding details used with the battery power conversion system.
Logistics
How it affects value: what should a seller know?
Interconnection records help establish whether a transformer has a documented path to reuse, but Duke approval is not a transferable equipment certification. Matching voltage, impedance, winding connection, and condition matter.