Solar Love
  • Rooftop Solar
    • Energy Storage
  • Solar Panels
  • Policy
  • Research
    • Science
    • Market Research
    • Solar Perceptions & Polls

Solar Love

  • Rooftop Solar
    • Energy Storage
  • Solar Panels
  • Policy
  • Research
    • Science
    • Market Research
    • Solar Perceptions & Polls
Solar Projects

Duke Energy To Add 500 MW Of Solar Power In Florida

by Steve Hanley April 14, 2015
written by Steve Hanley April 14, 2015
Duke Energy To Add 500 MW Of Solar Power In Florida

Duke Energy Florida spokesman Sterling Ivey said the utility plans to add 500 MW of solar power in Florida over the next ten years. “As the cost for solar continues to decrease, we believe it is reasonable to consider solar as part of our long range program plan. The long range program plan we filed this week projects customer usage and how we will meet customer demand over the next 10 years.”

Duke Energy, which serves 1.7 million customers from Central Florida through parts of the Panhandle, expects to have the first five megawatts of solar energy added to its grid by the end of this year. Another 30 megawatts should be available by 2018, according to Jacksonville Channel 4 News.

Adding 500 megawatts of solar power would more than double the state’s current solar production of 234 megawatts, placing it 13th in solar power among all 50 states. The announcement from Duke Energy Florida says the new solar energy facilities, together with plans for a natural gas fired facility in Citrus County and upgrades at its Hines plant in Polk County “will enable the company to meet a significant need for additional generation beginning in 2018 and to retire half of its Florida coal-fired fleet by that same year.”

Other Florida utilities are planning to add solar facilities to their systems as well. Gulf Power, headquartered in Pensacola,  has announced it will add 120 megawatts of utility scale solar power at three military bases in Northwest Florida. Another 225 megawatts of utility-scale solar may be added to the state’s grid over the next two years by Florida Power & Light, the state’s largest power company. FPL currently has 110 megawatts of solar power available for its customers.

Stephen Smith, of the Floridians for Solar Choice coalition, calls Duke’s announcement “welcomed” yet “underwhelming.” He says “This is a classic strategy that we see the investor-owned utilities do. They put out a press statement. They talk about big numbers. But the numbers are way out into the future. They try to generate some good media. But unless you study what they’re doing, you don’t see most of this isn’t going to happen until 2020 or beyond.” Smith adds that both Georgia and North Carolina are way ahead of Florida, with both expected to surpass 1,000-megawatts of solar within the next two years.

In the political background, solar advocates are pushing a ballot initiative in Florida that would weaken the monopoly that existing utility companies currently enjoy. It would provide a boost to home and small business solar installation and pave the way for community solar projects that would be independent of the utilities. The Florida Supreme Court is currently reviewing the language for that ballot question. Supporters hope to put the question on the ballot in time for the next statewide elections in November, 2016.

Duke Energy FloridaFlorida Power & LIghtGulf Powersolar ballot question in Floridasolar power in Florida
2 comments
0
FacebookTwitterPinterest
Steve Hanley

writes about the interface between technology and sustainability from his home in Rhode Island. You can follow him on Google + and on Twitter.

previous post
SolarCity Offers Solar Ownership in New Mexico
next post
Baltimore Residents Form Solar Energy Co-op

You may also like

Mitsui To Partner With Indian Company For Distributed...

June 10, 2019

India’s NTPC Offers Solar Project Management Services To...

June 9, 2019

Equinor & Scatec Solar Complete 162 Megawatt Brazilian...

November 29, 2018

Gamesa Awarded 400 Megawatt Solar Project In Egypt

November 29, 2018

EDF Renewables Commissions 110 Megawatts Of Solar In...

October 30, 2018

Capital Dynamics Acquires 121 Megawatt Springbok 3 Solar...

September 27, 2018

EnSync Energy Sells CAL FIRE Solar PPA Project...

August 20, 2018

India Shows More & More Appetite For Solar...

June 4, 2018

Invenergy Signs PPA With Georgia Power For 160...

May 14, 2018

Solar+Storage Project Awarded In India’s Andaman Islands

April 23, 2018

Follow Me

Facebook

Recent Posts

  • Meet PVCase: A 3D Solar Design Software That Every PV Designer Should Consider

    June 12, 2019
  • Mitsui To Partner With Indian Company For Distributed Solar Projects

    June 10, 2019
  • India’s NTPC Offers Solar Project Management Services To ISA Members

    June 9, 2019
  • Equinor & Scatec Solar Complete 162 Megawatt Brazilian Solar Plant

    November 29, 2018
  • Gamesa Awarded 400 Megawatt Solar Project In Egypt

    November 29, 2018
  • Facebook

@2019 - All Right Reserved solarlove.org


Back To Top