U.S. Defense Department to participate in FPL’s SolarTogether program
The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) is participating in Florida Power & Light Company’s (FPL) SolarTogether community solar program.
Specifically, the Defense Department will be subscribing for approximately 75 megawatts of solar energy as part of its Carbon Free Electricity (CFE) goal to help build a domestically based clean electricity supply chain by 2030.
The Defense Department will enroll military installations within FPL’s service area, including Eglin AFB, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Hurlburt Field, Tyndall AFB, Naval Support Activity Panama City, and Naval Air Station Whiting Field. The department estimates that its subscription to FPL’s SolarTogether will achieve an estimated savings of around $2 million over the next ten years.
“Utility customers like the DoD are benefiting from clean power market innovation in Florida,” Michael McGhee, acting deputy assistant secretary of defense for energy resilience and optimization, said. “It helps transition the power grid to cleaner and more sustainable sources of energy through a fixed subscription cost and projected bill savings over time.”
SolarTogether is the nation’s largest community solar program. It is designed to give all FPL customers an opportunity to directly participate in large-scale solar energy, without having to put panels on their roof and with no upfront costs. Program participants pay a fixed monthly subscription charge and receive escalating monthly bill credits based on the solar energy generated from FPL’s large-scale community solar energy centers throughout the state. Their subscription cost remains fixed, while their credit increases every year, helping to lower customers’ bills over time.
“We’re always looking for ways to help our customers meet their energy goals and are excited to offer the DoD the ability to participate in our FPL SolarTogether program,” J.T. Young, vice president and general manager of FPL Northwest Florida, said. “Their facilities are important to the fabric of our community and the defense of our nation – we are honored to help offer a program that will allow the DoD to support the continued growth of more diverse energy sources produced right here in Northwest Florida and across the state.”
