Florida Power & Light (FPL) has commissioned four solar power plants with a combined capacity of nearly 298MW and also decommissioned 1,300MW coal-fired power plant located in Florida, US.
The move is a part of company’s mission to lower its CO2 footprint and provide affordable clean energy to its customer.
Featuring more than one million solar panels, the four solar plants include FPL Horizon Solar Energy Center located in Alachua and Putnam counties; FPL Coral Farms Solar Energy Center in Putnam County; FPL Indian River Solar Energy Center in Indian River County; and FPL Wildflower Solar Energy Center in DeSoto County.
The firm is also constructing four additional solar plants, each with 74.5MW capacity, in the state. The solar farms which have nearly 600MW capacity in total are scheduled to be commissioned by 1 March 2018.
The four propjets include – FPL Barefoot Bay Solar Energy Center in Brevard County; FPL Blue Cypress Solar Energy Center in Indian River County; FPL Hammock Solar Energy Center in Hendry County; and FPL Loggerhead Solar Energy Center in St. Lucie County.
FPL said that eight solar plants which are being commissioned this year are expected to save more than $100m for its customers over and above the cost of construction.
Meanwhile, the firm and its partner JEA have retired the aging St. Johns River Power Park, a coal-fired power plant in Jacksonville, Florida.
The company said that the decision to close the power plant comes as it is no longer economical to operate. The move is expected to prevent more than 5.6 million tons of CO2 emissions annually and save estimated $183m for FPL customers.
St. Johns River Power Park is the second of three coal power plants planned to be retired by FPL in an effort to eliminate coal power generation from its energy mix.
Image: Florida Power & Light has commissioned new solar power plants in order to lower its CO2 footprint. Photo: courtesy of Ben Schonewille/FreeDigitalPhotos.net.