Posted Wednesday, November 22, 2017

Florida is Leading the Way in New Solar Development

As a state that sees more uninterrupted sunshine than most any other state, it’s not too surprising that Florida is taking advantage of solar power like no other state can. In a recent report from renewable energy industry analysts at GreenTech Media, Florida may become the ‘New #2 State’ for utility solar power capacity. This comes at a time when both utility and residential solar power customers are gaining more and more traction in the effort to supplement traditional electricity generation (coal, nuclear, etc.) with renewables like wind and solar.

According to the report, Florida is a frontrunner among other states by having installed 515 MWdc of utility-scale, photovoltaic solar infrastructure. Comparing this statistic with the rest of the US would put Florida at the #10 spot in terms of overall solar capacity, a commendable spot to be sure. However, with current plans to develop solar power in Florida anticipating 6.3 GWdc over the next five years, Florida is quickly rising among the ranks. If these plans go according to expectations, the additional 6.3 GWdc worth of solar power production capacity would mean that Florida would become the fourth largest state market insofar as utility-scale PV production is concerned.

Some of the biggest contributors to this endeavour to bolster Florida’s solar power capacity are three large utilities: Jacksonville Electric Authority (JEA), Duke Energy Florida (DEF), and Tampa Electric Company (TECO). These three participants are themselves alone responsible for 1.3 GWdc worth of solar power production capacity slotted to be commissioned before the end of 2022. If everything remains within budget and operational by that time, Florida will officially become the second largest state market for solar PV provided by utilities. This would put the state in higher rankings above even North Carolina and Texas.

Floridians have good reason to be proud of the state they live in. Clearly renewable energy is taken very seriously here, and at Urban Solar, we’re doing what we can to bring this exciting technology to homeowners and business owners throughout the area. If you’re ready to learn more about how solar power can work for you, contact us immediately and inquire about obtaining a completely free energy assessment. We take the guesswork out of solar so you can rest easy knowing you’re dealing with industry professionals. Contact us today!