FPL inaugurates solar plant in Miami-Dade County.
On Tuesday, Feb. 12, Florida Power & Light Co. (FPL) celebrated the opening of its new Miami-Dade Solar Energy Center, the company’s largest solar energy installation in South Florida.
The solar plant in Miami-Dade County contains 300,000 solar panels and is able to power 15,000 homes without creating any greenhouse gas emissions.
Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Giménez; Eric Silagy, President and CEO of FPL; the Commissioner Jose “Pepe” Diaz and the Everglades policy Director for Audubon Florida, Celeste De Palma, participated in the event, together with FIU students, FMU Chorale, and students from several schools, including form Mast Academy and Miami Union Academy, to celebrate at a farmer’s market-style event at the FPL Miami-Dade Solar Energy Center’s solar sanctuary.
“The benefit that we get is clean, fresh air, not only for us but also for future generations”, Mayor Carlos Gimenez said during the event.
“FPL is not your traditional electric company,” said Eric Silagy. “We’re a technology company that delivers power, and we’ve long believed in making smart, forward-thinking infrastructure investments to produce tangible, long-term benefits – cleaner air, lower electric rates, and reliable service – for our customers and our state. Now we’re taking our long-standing clean energy commitment to the next level”.
Speaking at the event, Silagy said FPL will continue to explore and invest in other forms of renewable energy. The utility says it has been researching battery storage technology to help stabilize the energy grid.
The opening this solar plant follows the announcement of NextEra Energy Inc.’s 30-by-30 plan, which outlines the parent company’s efforts to install 30 million solar panels across the Sunshine State by 2030. The effort would make the Juno Beach-based energy giant (NYSE: NEE) a world leader in solar energy and FPL the largest producer of solar energy among electric companies in America.
This new solar plant is capable of generating 74.5 megawatts of power from the sun. FPL now has 18 solar power plants and hundreds of other smaller solar installations operating across the state.
FPL said they are investing billions of dollars in clean energy and working to keep customer bills among the lowest in the states and nation.
The new solar plant is located in West Kendall: 18355 SW 136th St (off of the intersection of Krome and SW 136th St), Miami FL 33196
