FPL reaches major solar installation milestone

Florida Power & Light Co. (FPL) achieved a major milestone by surpassing 40% completion of its “30-by-30” plan to install 30 million solar panels by 2030. To date, FPL has installed more than 12 million solar panels in Florida, putting the company well on its way to achieving its “30-by-30” plan. FPL says this is one of the largest solar expansions in the U.S.

By the end of this month, FPL is on track to have 42 solar energy centers in Florida, including its Discovery Solar Energy Center at Kennedy Space Center, which just became operational. The solar panels installed across the company’s sites are expected to save customers about $421 million over the lifetime of the assets, while making Florida third in the nation for solar generation, with a trajectory to be a world leader in solar capacity by the end of the decade, according to FPL.

“Reaching this milestone is an important step in our commitment to increase zero-emissions energy as FPL builds a more resilient and sustainable energy future all of us can depend on, including future generations,” said Eric Silagy, FPL’s president and chief executive officer. “Despite the pandemic, our team has stayed laser-focused on executing our ’30-by-30′ plan. Eight new solar energy centers have begun powering customers with clean energy so far this year, and three more are scheduled to come online before the end of this year.

“Nobody in the country is building more solar than FPL,” Silagy continued. “We’re dedicated to providing our customers with clean, affordable and reliable energy, while keeping bills among the nation’s lowest – and our rapid solar expansion helps us consistently deliver on this promise.”

By the end of this month, the company will have more than 3,000 MW of solar capacity in operation, which, according to FPL, is more than any other utility in the U.S. Nearly every solar energy center that becomes operational in 2021 will also support FPL SolarTogether™ – the company’s community solar program, which is the nation’s largest.

By the end of 2030, FPL plans to have more than 11,700 MW of universal solar capacity. To support its solar buildout, the company recently began installing the first components of the world’s largest integrated solar-powered battery system, the 400-MW FPL Manatee Energy Storage Center. In addition, later this month, the company will demolish its last coal-fired plant in Florida, with plans to replace it with more clean, emissions-free solar energy power facilities.

“Since FPL first pioneered large-scale solar development in 2009, our industry has seen a transformation of what was once considered niche technology to solar becoming a dominant source of energy,” Silagy said. “Solar helps us reliably power our millions of customers, fuels our economy with jobs and benefits our environment.”

NextEra Energy Inc., FPL’s parent company, is the world’s largest generator of renewable energy from the wind and sun and a world leader in battery storage.


Source: Renewable Energy