Duke Energy Florida says it plans to construct a new 5 MW solar facility in Perry, Fla.
Developed, owned and operated by Duke Energy Florida, the solar facility will incorporate approximately 22,000 solar panels. The Perry solar facility will be built on land that the company acquired adjacent to the Duke Energy Perry substation. It will connect directly to the distribution system near the existing 230 kV substation without additional easements or extensive line construction.
Construction on the Perry solar facility will begin once all state and local permits have been received. The company expects to begin construction in December and to complete the project in May 2016.
This will be the second such project the company has announced in Florida. A 3.8 MW project will be located in Osceola County. Duke Energy Florida says it plans to install 35 MW of solar by 2018 and up to 500 MW of solar power in the state by 2024.
‘We are encouraged to see the declining price of solar technology and the interest our customers have in this renewable resource,’ says Alex Glenn, president of Duke Energy Florida. ‘This larger-scale solar facility allows us to efficiently bring the greatest amount of renewables online for our customers in the most economical way.’
