Florida Power & Light Company begins construction on 10 more solar energy centers
Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) announced Thursday the start of construction on its 10 newest solar power plants, which are expected to begin providing power to customers by early 2020.
“FPL is well on its way to making Florida a world leader in solar energy,” Eric Silagy, president and CEO of FPL, said. “This year alone, we’re building enough solar to increase our solar capacity by 60 percent, and we are just getting started as we count down to the installation of 30 million panels by 2030. With 18 solar plants in operation and 10 more on the way, we’re adding even more emissions-free power to one of the cleanest systems in the nation while consistently keeping our customers’ bills among the lowest in the nation.”
Each of the new solar plants will have a capacity of 74.5 megawatts (MW). When the new solar power plants begin operations, FPL’s total solar capacity will be nearly 2,000 MW. The company currently operates approximately 1,250 MW of solar capacity across 18 existing solar plants and other smaller installations.
Of the 10 new FPL solar power plants, six will support FPL SolarTogetherSM, the company’s new community solar program which will be the largest in the nation if approved by the Florida Public Service Commission.
Each of the new solar plants is expected to create approximately 200 jobs during peak construction.
FPL plans to install 3 million solar panels this year. The company’s 30-by-30 plan aims to install more than 30 million panels by 2030.
The ten new solar plants are FPL Babcock Preserve Solar Energy Center in Charlotte County; FPL Blue Heron Solar Energy Center in Hendry County; FPL Cattle Ranch Solar Energy Center in DeSoto County; FPL Echo River Solar Energy Center in Suwannee County; FPL Hibiscus Solar Energy Center in Palm Beach County; FPL Northern Preserve Solar Energy Center in Baker County; FPL Okeechobee Solar Energy Center in Okeechobee County; FPL Southfork Solar Energy Center in Manatee County; FPL Sweetbay Solar Energy Center in Martin County; and FPL Twin Lakes Solar Energy Center in Putnam County.
