JUNO BEACH, Fla. – Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) today announced it currently has a company record 16 new solar energy centers simultaneously under construction across the Sunshine State, passing the previous peak of 14 solar energy centers simultaneously under construction in fall of 2020.
The new solar energy centers will add approximately 3.1 million solar panels to the state, with several supporting FPL SolarTogether – the company’s popular community solar program and the largest of its kind in the country – which received approval for expansion last year by state regulators.
The following solar sites are currently under construction:
- Saw Palmetto Solar Energy Center – Bay County
- Anhinga Solar Energy Center – Clay County
- Chipola River Solar Energy Center – Calhoun County
- Flowers Creek Solar Energy Center – Calhoun County
- Shirer Branch Solar Energy Center – Calhoun County
- First City Solar Energy Center – Escambia County
- Wild Azalea Solar Energy Center – Gadsden County
- Apalachee Solar Energy Center – Jackson County
- Everglades Solar Energy Center – Miami-Dade County
- Cavendish Solar Energy Center – Okeechobee County
- Etonia Creek Solar Energy Center – Putnam County
- Blackwater River Solar Energy Center – Santa Rosa County
- Bluefield Preserve Solar Energy Center – St. Lucie County
- Pink Trail Solar Energy Center – St. Lucie County
- Chautauqua Solar Energy Center – Walton County
- Cypress Pond Solar Energy Center – Washington County
The construction of these 16 new solar energy centers is expected to create up to 4,000 solar jobs across Florida, as each individual site will have 200 to 250 workers at peak construction. In addition to this influx of workers infusing dollars into local economies with the purchase of goods and services, each solar energy center will generate hundreds of thousands of dollars in local tax revenues each year.
In June, FPL’s parent company, NextEra Energy, announced its Real Zero goal, an industry-leading commitment to eliminate carbon emissions from its power plant fleet by no later than 2045. As part of its Zero Carbon Blueprint, FPL will install 90,000 MW of solar energy in Florida, which in combination with the massive expansion of battery storage, the continued use of zero-emissions nuclear power generation and converting its highly efficient natural gas plants to run on green hydrogen, will provide zero-emissions, reliable and affordable electricity to customers. Economic studies indicate that reaching the Real Zero goal could create up to 150,000 jobs and add $15 billion in annual gross domestic product (GDP) in Florida through 2045.
To learn more about FPL solar power in the Sunshine State, click here.
Florida Power & Light Company
As America’s largest electric utility, Florida Power & Light Company serves more customers and sells more power than any other utility, providing clean, affordable, reliable electricity to more than 5.8 million accounts, or more than 12 million people. FPL operates one of the cleanest power generation fleets in the U.S and in 2021 won the ReliabilityOne® National Reliability Award for the sixth time in the last seven years. The company received the top ranking in the southern U.S. among large electric providers, according to J.D. Power’s 2021 Electric Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction StudySM and 2021 Electric Utility Business Customer Satisfaction StudySM. The company was also recognized in 2020 as one of the most trusted U.S. electric utilities by Escalent for the seventh consecutive year. FPL is a subsidiary of Juno Beach, Florida-based NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE), a clean energy company widely recognized for its efforts in sustainability, corporate responsibility, ethics and compliance, and diversity. NextEra Energy is ranked No. 1 in the electric and gas utilities industry in Fortune’s 2022 list of “World’s Most Admired Companies” and recognized on Fortune’s 2021 list of companies that “Change the World.” NextEra Energy is also the parent company of NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, which, together with its affiliated entities, is the world’s largest generator of renewable energy from the wind and sun and a world leader in battery storage. For more information about NextEra Energy companies, visit these websites: www.NextEraEnergy.com, www.FPL.com, www.NextEraEnergyResources.com.