Florida Power & Light announces plan to install 30 million solar panels by 2030
Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) announced Wednesday its “30-by-30” plan, through which the company aims to install more than 30 million solar panels by 2030.
The project will result in, FPL said, the largest installation of solar panels by a regulated utility in the world and a 67 percent fleet-wide reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions rate by 2030 as compared to the national average. When the plan is completed, FPL expects to be the largest utility owner and operator of solar in America.
“FPL is not your traditional electric company,” Eric Silagy, president and CEO of FPL, said. “We’re a technology company that delivers power, and we’ve long believed in making smart, forward-thinking infrastructure investments to produce tangible, long-term benefits – cleaner air, lower electric rates, and reliable service – for our customers and our state. Now we’re taking our long-standing clean energy commitment to the next level. Bottom line, this bold, innovative plan is the right thing to do for our customers and for our fast-growing state, and we look forward to working with local and state officials and our regulators to make this vision a reality.”
FPL also plans to deploy a significant amount of battery storage in Florida by 2030.
FPL currently operates 18 large solar power plants and hundreds of other universal solar installations in Florida. FPL commissioned its first universal solar installation, a 10-kilowatt photovoltaic facility in Miami, in 1984.
“FPL and NextEra Energy Resources have been at the forefront of advancing affordable, clean energy for decades,” Silagy said. “It’s why our customers enjoy electricity that is among the cleanest and most reliable in the country for a price more than 30 percent below the national average. That said, we’re not satisfied with the status quo and understand that our customers expect even more from us as energy experts and industry leaders. It’s why we’re reimagining the way we serve our customers and challenging ourselves to find even more innovative ways to do what’s best for Florida and the nation.”
