Duke Energy Florida to build two new solar power plants, one in Citrus County
St. Petersburg, Florida - On March 15, Duke Energy Florida (DEF) announced that it plans to build two solar power plants in Florida, each with a 74.9-megawatt capacity, one in Citrus County, and the other in Hardee County, to deliver clean energy to customers. DEF currently has more than 900 megawatts (MW) of solar generation under construction or in operation, which will more than quadruple its in-service solar capacity over the next four years.
In Citrus County, the Bay Trail Solar Power Plant will be built on 500 acres and will consist of approximately 197,000 tracking bifacial solar panels. Its innovative double-sided panel design is highly efficient and tracks the movement of the sun. The plant will be capable of effectively producing enough electricity to power approximately 23,000 average-sized homes, at peak production. The Bay Trail facility is also the site of a future mining operation.
“Citrus County welcomes the Duke Energy Bay Trail Solar Power Plant into our community,” said Citrus County Commission Chairman Scott Carnahan. ”This investment promotes clean energy, brings jobs to our area, and capital investment into our community. We believe this project will bring many benefits to our residents.”
In Hardee Couny, the Fort Green Power Plant will be built on approximately 500 acres, and will consist of approximately 265,000 solar panels, utilizing a fixed-tilt racking system that will produce enough carbon-free energy to effectively power more than 20,000 average-sized homes at peak production. The Fort Green site is a former phosphate mine.
“These solar power plants are examples of how mining sites can be developed for renewable energy and benefit our communities and the environment,” said Melissa Seixas, Duke Energy Florida state president. “Duke Energy Florida is delivering on what our customers want – access to clean energy at a competitive price. We are providing environmentally friendly, cost-effective and innovative solar that benefits all of our Florida customers.”
In February 2020, Duke Energy Florida announced the installation of its one-millionth solar panel in Florida at the company’s Columbia Solar Power Plant in Fort White, Florida. Duke Energy Florida has now installed more than 1.9 million solar panels in Florida, to date. When both sites are finished, the Bay Trail and Fort Green solar power plants will help Duke Energy Florida complete the installation of 3 million solar panels in the state.
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 1.9 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.