JUNO BEACH, Fla. — Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) today announced five new solar energy centers will begin powering customers with clean energy by December 31.
These new sites, each of which is about 500 acres, add another 1.4 million solar panels to the state and support FPL Solar Together™ – the company’s popular community solar program, which launched earlier this year as the largest of its kind in the United States.
Three of the solar energy centers are the first to be installed in their respective counties: Nassau, St. Johns and Union counties. Two other solar energy centers in Baker and Okeechobee counties will be the second in each.
These five new centers bring FPL closer to fulfilling its “30-by-30” commitment to installing more than 30 million solar panels by the year 2030.
“Nobody in America is building more affordable solar than FPL and I’m very pleased that despite many challenges, including multiple storms and COVID, the FPL team was able to keep all of these projects on schedule and budget,” said Eric Silagy, president and CEO of FPL. “Our FPL SolarTogether program is an innovative piece of the company’s rapid solar expansion, which helps us consistently deliver America’s best energy value – electricity that’s not just clean and reliable, but also affordable.”
“Our goal is to make Florida a leader in clean, solar energy that keeps costs down for our customers, helps to keep the Sunshine State beautiful, and, in the process, creates local construction jobs,” Silagy continued. “These five new solar energy centers are helping us take a powerful step forward as we execute our ‘30-by-30’ commitment.”
The new solar energy centers are:
- FPL Egret Solar Energy Center, Baker County
- FPL Lakeside Solar Energy Center, Okeechobee County
- FPL Nassau Solar Energy Center, Nassau County*
- FPL Trailside Solar Energy Center, St. Johns County*
- FPL Union Springs Solar Energy Center, Union County*
*The first FPL solar energy center in this county
These specific centers were part of the company’s broader construction effort across the state, when FPL recently made history by constructing an unprecedented 14 solar energy centers at one time.
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As part of the FPL SolarTogether program, the five new solar energy centers give all customers – both residential and business – an opportunity to enjoy the economic and environmental benefits of solar energy, and the chance to cost-effectively support the growth of solar in Florida. The program also benefits all FPL customers by reducing the company’s already-low fuel costs and adding more emissions-free solar generation to FPL’s energy mix.
By the numbers:
- Each one of the new solar energy centers is capable of generating 74.5 megawatts (MW) of power from the sun.
- Combined, these five centers will generate enough solar energy to power about 75,000 homes.
- More than 1,100 construction jobs benefited local economies during the installation of the five solar energy centers.
- With these new centers coming online, FPL will operate a total of 33 universal-scale solar energy centers by the end of 2020.
- Nine more solar energy centers are still under construction, with expected completion dates in 2021.
By building universal-scale solar energy centers across Florida, FPL is taking advantage of the extended sunshine across the state’s vast peninsula, which spans two time zones.
The company’s transmission system allows energy produced from the solar energy centers all over the state to benefit customers throughout its entire service territory.
