It’s unlikely that you will see any reduction in your electric bill anytime soon, but last Friday, Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) dedicated the first hybrid solar power plant in the world – FPL’s Martin Next Generation Solar Energy Center.
Spanning approximately 500 acres in western Martin County, this one-of-a-kind hybrid facility connects a field of more than 190,000 solar thermal mirrors with an existing combined-cycle natural gas power plant. Innovative technology enables the mirrors to track the sun over the course of a day to harness free fuel from the sun’s rays to create electricity and directly offset the use of fossil fuels.
“From job creation to cleaner air to energy security, this project demonstrates the many benefits of investing in large-scale renewable energy, especially in Florida,” said FPL President and CEO Armando J. Olivera.
FPL’s 75-megawatt Martin Next Generation Solar Energy Center is designed to harness free fuel from the sun’s rays to power about 11,000 homes.
FPL’s Martin Next Generation Solar Energy Center was officially declared in-service in November 2010 and is the third of three large-scale solar projects that the company has completed over the past two years, creating more than 5,000 direct and indirect jobs. These three plants combined are now delivering a total of 110 megawatts of clean, solar energy to Floridians.
In addition, the plant is expected to generate more than $5 million in new local tax revenue in its first full year of operation, enabling Martin County to devote considerable resources toward long-term economic development.
FPL has already secured and permitted sites where more than 500 megawatts of new solar power could be built and is ready to launch several projects right away that would employ thousands of Floridians during construction, support local businesses and benefit customers.
