Duke Energy issued the following announcement on Jan. 27.
Duke Energy Florida (DEF) today announced the locations of its two newest solar power plants which will provide cleaner, smarter energy solutions to benefit Florida customers.
- The Twin Rivers Solar Power Plant will be built on 460 acres in Hamilton County, Fla. Once operational, the 74.9-megawatt (MW) facility will consist of approximately 235,000 tracking solar panels. The panels 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, Fla. 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.
Both solar power plants will be developed, owned, operated and maintained by Duke Energy Florida and are expected to break ground in March 2020. Completion is currently scheduled for late 2020.
"Our two newest solar power plants in Hamilton and Columbia counties are expected to eliminate approximately 600 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions in Florida each year upon commercial operation. That's the equivalent of taking about 56,000 passenger cars off the road each year," said Catherine Stempien, Duke Energy Florida state president. "We are committed to environmental stewardship and more fuel diversity for our Florida customers' benefit."
During construction each solar project creates 200 to 300 temporary jobs.
"Columbia County is excited to partner with Duke Energy on this solar project that is not only promoting green energy, but also bringing jobs and capital investment into our community," said Columbia County economic development director Glenn Hunter. "Additionally, Duke Energy's investment into the hundreds of acres of rural farmland in Columbia County is significant to preserve the integrity of our land and development as we move into the future."
Building A Smarter Energy Future®
Additionally, Duke Energy Florida completed two solar facilities last month.
The Lake Placid Solar Power Plant in Highlands County, Fla. began serving customers Dec. 9, 2019. The facility is 45 MW, which is enough to power more than 12,000 homes at peak production. Click here for video
The Trenton Solar Power Plant in Gilchrist County, Fla. began serving customers Dec. 18, 2019. The facility is 74.9 MW, which is enough to power more than 23,000 homes at peak production. Click here for video
Solar Projects Under Construction
Duke Energy Florida is building another 74.9 MW with the Columbia Solar Power Plant in Columbia County, Fla., anticipated to begin servicing customers in April 2020.
The DeBary Solar Power Plant is under construction in Volusia County, Fla. and will bring another 300,000 solar panels to Florida with service beginning in June 2020.
Duke Energy Florida is increasingly delivering cleaner energy to customers with a total of almost 370 MW of solar under construction or in service by mid-2020.
The Company is investing an estimated $1 billion to construct or acquire a total of 700 MW of cost-effective solar power facilities from 2018 through 2022 in Florida, and planning for another 1,500 MW of solar generation through 2028.
Duke Energy Florida is encouraging renewable investments within the state. By buying existing solar projects and using a competitive process to select DEF solar contractors, solar panels and project material suppliers, the company's solar power plants bring the greatest amount of dependable renewable energy on line for customers in the most efficient and economical way while creating more jobs in the solar and energy-related markets.
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.
Original source can be found here.
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