Florida’s Gulf Power begins construction on two solar energy centers

Gulf Power is building two new solar energy centers in Northwest Florida that should be up and running by the end of 2021.

The two new solar centers are the Cotton Creek Solar Energy Center in Escambia County and the Blue Springs Solar Energy Center in Jackson County. They are expected to bring an additional 600,000 solar panels to the Florida panhandle region, according to officials at Gulf Power, a subsidiary of Florida Power & Light (FPL).

“As part of FPL, we’re ushering in a more sustainable future for Northwest Florida by delivering cleaner, lower-cost energy and increasing reliability while keeping costs down for our customers,” Mike Spoor, Gulf Power vice president, said. “With each solar farm that we build, we’re reducing our carbon footprint and providing cleaner air for our region, ensuring we keep Northwest Florida beautiful for generations to come, while also benefitting the local economy with the contribution of hundreds of thousands of additional tax dollars.”

Each of the new solar energy centers will be capable of generating 74.5 megawatts (MW) of power, which is enough to power about 30,000 homes. These projects will create more than 500 construction jobs.

Last April, Gulf Power opened its first solar center, the Blue Indigo Solar Center in Jackson County. Besides Cotton Creek and Blue Springs, there are several others in the works, including First City Solar Energy Center in North Escambia County, Blackwater River Solar Energy Center in Santa Rosa County, Chipola River Solar Energy Center, and Flowers Creek Solar Energy Center in Calhoun County, and Apalachee Solar Energy Center in Jackson County.

The company is also installing solar trees and solar parking canopies in Northwest Florida. The first two solar trees are being installed in Pensacola on the corner of Main and Reus streets at the Wahoo stadium crosswalk. There will be additional installations popping up elsewhere in Pensacola, as well as Fort Walton Beach and at Destin’s HarborWalk Village Boardwalk.

The parent company, FPL, operates 34 solar energy centers across Florida, with plans for more. The company also recently broke ground on the FPL Manatee Energy Storage Center, the world’s largest integrated solar-powered battery system. This facility, located in Parrish, Fla., is expected to begin serving customers in late 2021.