Duke Energy Florida launches two new solar facilities

Duke Energy Florida recently announced the launch of two new solar power plants.

One is the Twin Rivers Solar Power Plant in Hamilton County, Fla. This 74.9-megawatt (MW) facility will consist of approximately 235,000 tracking solar panels, which will produce enough electricity to power about 23,000 homes at peak production.

The other is the Santa Fe Solar Power Plant in Columbia County, Fla., and will also generate 74.9-MW of power with 235,000 tracking solar panels.

“Our two newest solar power plants in Hamilton and Columbia counties are expected to eliminate approximately 600 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions in Florida each year upon commercial operation. That’s the equivalent of taking about 56,000 passenger cars off the road each year,” Catherine Stempien, Duke Energy Florida state president, said. “We are committed to environmental stewardship and more fuel diversity for our Florida customers’ benefit.”

Both are expected to break ground in March 2020, with completion expected by the end of the year.

“Columbia County is excited to partner with Duke Energy on this solar project that is not only promoting green energy but also bringing jobs and capital investment into our community,” Columbia County economic development director Glenn Hunter said. ”Additionally, Duke Energy’s investment into the hundreds of acres of rural farmland in Columbia County is significant to preserve the integrity of our land and development as we move into the future.”

Duke Energy Florida just completed two solar facilities last month. One is the 45 MW Lake Placid Solar Power Plant in Highlands County, Fla., and the other is the 74.9 MW Trenton Solar Power Plant in Gilchrist County, Fla.

It also has a few others under construction, including the 74.9 MW Columbia Solar Power Plant in Columbia County, Fla., which should be completed by April 2020. The other is the DeBary Solar Power Plant in Volusia County, Fla., which will be completed in June 2020.

Overall, the company is investing an estimated $1 billion to construct or acquire a total of 700 MW of solar power facilities from 2018 through 2022 in Florida, with another 1,500 MW of solar generation planned through 2028.