Real estate developer Kitson & Partners has reached an agreement with electric utility Florida Power & Light (FPL) to build the world's largest solar photovoltaic power plant in Babcock Ranch, Fla. According to the Kitson & Partners, Babcock Ranch will also be the world's first city powered by solar energy.
The 17,000-acre city of Babcock Ranch will consume less power than the proposed FPL on-site solar facilities will produce. The city of Babcock Ranch will also be home to an integrated smart grid that will provide greater efficiencies and allow residents and businesses to monitor and control their energy consumption.
All commercial buildings and homes in the new city will be certified as energy-efficient and constructed according to Florida Green Building Council standards. In addition, over half of the city's 17,000 acres will be permanently protected as greenways and open space, and the city is adjacent to the 73,000-acre Babcock Ranch Preserve.
Subject to State of Florida approvals, ground breaking on the FPL solar facility is targeted for late 2009, with construction of the city center targeted for mid-2010 and construction of the first residential and commercial buildings targeted for late 2010.
SOURCE: Kitson & Partners
