Submitted Chris Duyos
As Florida’s population continues to grow, Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) is building solar energy centers and battery energy storage systems to meet the state’s increasing energy demands. These cost-effective enhancements to the state’s electric grid not only protect Florida’s environment, but also improve reliability and resiliency for FPL customers while delivering valuable benefits to the communities where they operate, including here in South Florida.
Developing solar solutions
Solar energy is among the most cost-effective sources of energy, and FPL solar energy centers also provide numerous benefits for their communities, including producing low-cost, emissions-free energy, preserving Florida’s agricultural land and protecting Florida’s environment today – and for generations to come.
Solar stewardship
FPL’s solar energy centers in South Florida can co-exist with Florida’s natural environment, providing resources for native wildlife, including important pollinators. Unlike other forms of development, they place little to no demand on public services. These projects also allow the soil to remain fallow, meaning the land will be given a “rest”, helping to restore the soil’s natural nutrient balance.
In addition to the environmental benefits, FPL solar energy centers provide reliable energy without the need for fuel, which helps keep customer bills as low as possible. Since 2009, we have saved customers approximately $1 billion in avoided fuel costs, thanks in large part to FPL solar energy centers across the state.
“We are dedicated to providing reliable electricity, keeping bills as low as possible for our customers and continuing to be good stewards of our natural environment,” said Tim Oliver, vice president of development for FPL. “We evaluate each solar site for its unique environmental attributes and develop a tailored stewardship plan to support or enhance them.”
Leasing land
FPL also leases land to farmers and ranchers for a variety of uses across the state. This enables the land to continue to be used for growing crops and raising cattle prior to solar development and any land that remains available even after development and construction.
Exploring agrivoltaics
We are always striving to find innovative new solutions for our customers. That’s why we are exploring pilot projects that involve co-locating agricultural activities and solar energy infrastructure on the same land, a concept known as agrivoltaics. In collaboration with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Services, FPL has introduced an on-site cropping system at its Miami-Dade Solar Energy Center in Miami-Dade County that features multiple crop species planted beneath rows of de-energized solar panels. The study will help us continue to explore opportunities to safely grow crops at solar sites.
It’s important to note, there is no one-size-fits-all solution for agrivoltaics. Agrivoltaics applications are very site-specific and must be compatible with many factors, including a site’s geography, soils, water availability and community needs.
Benefitting communities
There are also local financial benefits associated with each FPL solar project. Each project generates 200 to 250 jobs during construction, providing an economic boost to local businesses through the purchase of goods and services. Once sites become operational, they generate hundreds of thousands of dollars in tax revenue every year.
FPL’s solar energy centers in South Florida generated $450,000 in taxes, funds that can be used by the local county for any purpose, including to improve schools, roads and hospitals.
Building battery storage systems
Adding battery energy storage systems is another way we’re reducing fuel costs, enhancing grid resilience and diversifying our energy supplies, as seen with the FPL Manatee Energy Storage Center, which is one of the world’s largest solar-powered batteries. These systems benefit customers by allowing us to store energy when it can be produced and deploying it onto the grid when customers need it most, which saves them money.
“Battery storage helps us optimize our diverse power generation sources, including solar, natural gas and nuclear, providing grid resilience and delivering low-cost energy over more hours of the day to meet customer demand,” said Oliver.
The future is bright
FPL will continue to invest in solar and battery technology, which are among the most cost-effective sources of power generation the company can invest in for its customers. We remain committed to providing reliable electricity and keeping bills as low as possible.