ENERGY
16
FPL ENHANCES EMISSIONS-FREE
SYSTEMS TO MAKE FLORIDA
WORLD LEADER IN SOLAR POWER
TCBusiness.com
FPL PHOTOS
In its desire to produce power with fewer emissions, Florida Power & Light Company purchased acres of land throughout the state and in 2009 began setting up
solar farms to harness the sun’s energy.
Cost-effective alternative sources here bring
economic and environmental benefits
Known as the Sunshine State, a moniker
that attracts many tourists and helps the
state’s economy, Florida is now seeing
ever-expanding utilization of this great
natural resource. Florida Power & Light
Company has been harnessing the sun’s
rays to provide electric power for homes
and institutions since it built the first solar
energy center in DeSoto County, the largest
of its kind in the United States, in 2009.
The first Treasure Coast operation, a
hybrid natural gas-solar facility known as
Martin Next Generation Solar Energy Center,
has 190,000 mirrors spread over 500
acres. The 75-megawatt plant, the first hybrid
of its kind in the world, began operation
in December 2010 and is the only one
of its kind that FPL operates. Through the
use of solar panels and natural gas, along
with its current nuclear power plants, FPL
is working to lessen its carbon footprint
in Florida.
Today FPL operates about 1,250 megawatts
of solar power capacity across 18
solar plants and smaller installations. The
company plans to reach 2,000 megawatts
of power once other plants come on-line
in early 2020. This will be enough to power
400,000 homes, according to Stephen
Heiman, FPL spokesman. The layout of the >>
BY PATTIE DURHAM
/TCBusiness.com
