DEC 03

Florida utility Florida Power & Light broke ground yesterday on a 75-megawatt solar thermal facility. The facility is combined with a natural gas plant so that when the sun goes down, natural gas powers the turbines. This solar-natural gas hybrid is the first of its kind.

The plant will consist of 180,000 mirrors spanning 500 acres just north of Palm Beach County on the Atlantic coast and is scheduled to turn on in 2010. The facility is the first of three solar plants planned for the state, which will put Florida in second place behind California in solar energy production.

Of course any large-scale project on Florida's coast has to be built with hurricanes in mind. The facility will reportedly be able to withstand hurricane-force winds.

The utility said that this plant is being built in anticipation of a statewide requirement to increase renewable energy production, as well as a nationwide requirement that might come from the new administration. A recent report showed that Florida had limited potential for wind power, so it's safe to say that they're putting their effort in the right direction.

via Green Inc.

Image via Florida Power & Light

Comments (6)

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To big to expensive small is the way to
written by eddieb, December 04, 2008

There a better way! I live in Fla and have been pushing an idea of mine that FPL move to purchase individual house size Solar panels and associated equiptment and install and maintain them on all new homes. The benefits are obvious and plentiful. Besides providing electricity this process would spur dvelopement of better solar panels as well as reduced their cost.

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written by Corban, December 04, 2008

Eddie, wouldn't that lose the economies that are had with larger scales? It's a solar thermal facility, so there are hot pipelines. Larger pipes have less surface area-to-volume, so there's less loss.

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Testing?
written by Carl, December 04, 2008

The 500 acre 75MW solar plant is being built on the
11,300 acre 2800MW existing plant site, so this is only
a few percent of extra capacity. Interesting that the same company operates the 310MW solar plant in California.

It looks like they are using the same system as the Mojave, CA facility, rather than the newer Ausra technology.

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Short sighted
written by Mike Hallett, December 12, 2008

Given that sea levels are predicted to rise significantly in the not too distant future, was this obviously coastal site in Florida the best place for this massive investment? Just a passing thought.....

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written by Mike Hallett, December 12, 2008

Given that sea levels are predicted to rise significantly in the not too distant future, was this obviously coastal site in Florida the best choice for such an massive investment? Just a passing thought.....

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Turbine Condos
written by larry, December 18, 2008

I don't know. I've noticed there is always a very stiff breeze blowing through the porticos of the seaside condos in southeast florida. If we could figure out how to get a turbine in those condos, our energy problems would be licked.

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