ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.,
Feb. 24, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- One
million solar panels and counting…
Duke Energy Florida today announced the installation of its
one-millionth solar panel in the state at the company's Columbia
Solar Power Plant in Fort White,
Fla.
Duke Energy Florida plans to install a significant amount of
additional solar energy over the next 10 years across the
state.
"This is an exciting announcement as we increasingly deliver
cleaner, more reliable energy to our customers," said Catherine Stempien, Duke Energy Florida state
president. "By mid-year, our solar plants are expected to eliminate
nearly 1.5 billion pounds of carbon dioxide emissions each year.
That's the equivalent of taking 130,000 passenger cars off Florida
roads."
Duke Energy Florida will have a total of almost 515 megawatts
(MW) of solar under construction or operating by mid-2020.
The company is investing an estimated $1
billion to construct or acquire a total of 700 MW of solar
power facilities from 2018 through 2022 in Florida.
Duke Energy Florida is projecting to more than double its solar
investments, and plans to potentially install more than 1,500 MW of
solar generation by 2028.
Video of installation of one-millionth solar panel at Columbia
Solar Power Plant.
Video of Columbia plant, from
drone.
More information about the Columbia plant.
Building A Smarter Energy Future®
Here is a look at the solar power plants across Florida that helped Duke Energy reach its
one-millionth solar panel installation.
- In 2016, Duke Energy completed a 5-MW solar power plant that
serves the Reedy Creek Improvement District and its customers, like
the Walt Disney World Resort. It is a 22-acre solar farm in the
shape of a not-so-hidden Mickey in Orlando, Orange
County, with 48,000 solar panels. Click here for video
- Also in 2016, Duke Energy Florida opened two universal solar
power plants. A 3.8-MW facility in Kenansville, Osceola
County, (Click here for video) with 15,000 solar panels and
a 5.1-MW facility in Perry,
Taylor County, with 22,000 solar
panels.
- In 2017, Duke Energy Florida opened a solar power plant in
Suwannee County with 8.8 MW and
44,000 panels in Live Oak,
Suwannee County. Click here for
video
- The 74.9-MW Hamilton Solar Power Plant has 300,000 solar panels
and came online in December 2018. It
is located in Jasper, Hamilton County. Click here for video
- The 45-MW Lake Placid Solar Power Plant in Highlands County began serving customers
Dec. 9, 2019, with 180,000 solar
panels. Click here for video
- The Trenton Solar Power Plant in Gilchrist County began serving customers
Dec. 18, 2019. The facility is 74.9
MW and has 280,000 solar panels. Click here for video
- The one-millionth panel was installed at the 74.9-MW Columbia
Solar Power Plant, which includes approximately 300,000 solar
panels and is anticipated to begin servicing customers in
March 2020.
Florida's Solar
Future
Additional solar power plants are under way in Florida.
The 74.5 MW DeBary Solar Power Plant is under construction in
Volusia County and will have
300,000 solar panels, with universal service to the power
grid in the second quarter of 2020.
The Twin Rivers Solar Power Plant will be built on 460 acres in
Hamilton County. Once operational,
the 74.9-MW facility will consist of approximately 235,000 tracking
solar panels that track the movement of the sun and are capable of
producing enough electricity to power approximately 23,000 homes at
peak production.
The Santa Fe Solar Power Plant will be built on approximately
600 acres in Columbia County. The
74.9-MW plant will consist of approximately 235,000 tracking solar
panels, which will produce enough carbon-free energy to power more
than 23,000 average homes at peak production.
Over the next decade, the company will continue to make
innovative and targeted investments in additional solar power
plants, battery storage technology, shared solar, transportation
electrification and a modernized power grid to help meet customers'
needs for diverse, reliable energy solutions.
Duke Energy Florida
Duke Energy Florida, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, owns a diverse
generation mix of natural gas, coal and renewables, providing about
10,200 megawatts of owned electric capacity to approximately 1.8
million customers in a 13,000-square-mile service area.
Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in
Charlotte, N.C., is one of the
largest energy holding companies in the U.S. It employs 30,000
people and has an electric generating capacity of 51,000 megawatts
through its regulated utilities, and 3,000 megawatts through its
nonregulated Duke Energy Renewables unit.
Duke Energy is transforming its customers' experience,
modernizing the energy grid, generating cleaner energy and
expanding natural gas infrastructure to create a smarter energy
future for the people and communities it serves. The Electric
Utilities and Infrastructure unit's regulated utilities serve
approximately 7.7 million retail electric customers in six states –
North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio
and Kentucky. The Gas Utilities
and Infrastructure unit distributes natural gas to more than 1.6
million customers in five states – North
Carolina, South Carolina,
Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. The Duke Energy Renewables unit
operates wind and solar generation facilities across the U.S., as
well as energy storage and microgrid projects.
Duke Energy was named to Fortune's 2020 "World's Most Admired
Companies" list, and Forbes' 2019 "America's Best Employers" list.
More information about the company is available at duke-energy.com.
The Duke Energy News Center contains news releases, fact
sheets, photos, videos and other materials. Duke Energy's
illumination features stories about people, innovations,
community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on
Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and
Facebook.
Contact: Ana Gibbs
Office: 727.820.4722 | 24-Hour: 800.559.3853
View original content to download
multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/duke-energy-florida-announces-installation-of-one-millionth-solar-panel-in-state-301010059.html
SOURCE Duke Energy