Duke Energy Florida to Break Ground on 2 New Solar Power Plants

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Duke Energy Florida (DEF) has announced the locations of its two newest solar power plants. According to DEF:

• The Twin Rivers Solar Power Plant will be built on 460 acres in Hamilton County, FL. 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, FL. 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 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.

DEF says the two new plants are expected to eliminate approximately 600 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions in Florida each year upon commercial operation.

Additionally, Duke Energy Florida completed two solar facilities last month. The Lake Placid Solar Power Plant in Highlands County, FL began serving customers Dec. 9, 2019. The facility is 45 MW, which is enough to power more than 12,000 homes at peak production. 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.

Solar Projects Under Construction

Duke Energy Florida is building another 74.9 MW with the Columbia Solar Power Plant in Columbia County, FL, anticipated to begin servicing customers in April 2020.

The DeBary Solar Power Plant is under construction in Volusia County and will bring another 300,000 solar panels to Florida with service beginning in June 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.