Florida Power & Light starts construction on 6 new solar centers

Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) has started construction on six new solar energy centers that are expected to go into operation by the end of the year.

The effort is part of FPL’s SolarTogether initiative, the company’s community solar program, which is the largest of its kind in the United States

“As our state navigates through uncertain times, FPL remains focused on finding new, innovative ways to deliver an even cleaner, more sustainable energy future that will help keep bills low for our customers,” Eric Silagy, president and CEO of FPL, said. “Make no mistake, we are committed to growing solar and making Florida a leader in clean solar energy. In fact, we remain on track to install 30 million solar panels by 2030 and I’ll be disappointed if we don’t install more. It’s what our customers expect us to do and it’s simply the right thing for our state to ensure that our children and grandchildren benefit from a clean and affordable energy future for generations to come.”

The six new FPL solar centers are the Egret Solar Energy Center in Baker County, the Lakeside Solar Energy Center in Okeechobee County, the Magnolia Springs Solar Energy Center in Clay County, the Nassau Solar Energy Center in Nassau County, the Trailside Solar Energy Center in St. Johns County, and the Union Springs Solar Energy Center in Union County.

The new projects are employing approximately 700 workers and that number will increase to about 1,200 jobs during peak construction. The company is taking precautionary measures and working with contractors to ensure they are following guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for social distancing and practicing safe work habits.

FPL has already brought 10 new solar energy centers online this year, which, combined with the six 74.5 megawatt-solar plants being constructed will result in approximately 1,275 MW of new solar capacity added in 2020. In the first quarter of this year, FPL had the most solar installations for the utility-scale solar industry in the U.S.

FPL currently operates 28 solar power plants, two that feature energy storage, and hundreds of smaller solar installations. FPL has approximately 1,975 megawatts of universal solar capacity.