FPL has announced a ’30-by-30′ plan to install over 30 million solar panels in Florida by 2030. FPL (Florida Power & Light Company), based in Juno Beach, Florida, is the principal subsidiary of NextEra Energy Inc. The company serves approximately 10 million people (4.9 million accounts) in Florida. It is an electricity generation, transmission, and distribution company.
FPL says that is has secured solar sites across Florida. The sites will enable it to continue building solar energy centers throughout the state cost effectively.
In a press release, the company made the following comment regarding its 10-year plan:
“This bold plan will capture economies of scale and promote the construction of efficient and cost-effective solar generation.”
“The end result will be the largest installation of solar panels by a regulated utility in the world and a 67 percent fleet-wide reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions rate by 2030 as compared to the national average.”
FPL and NextEra Energy Resources
FPL and NextEra Energy Resources, combined, produce the most renewable energy from the Sun and wind globally. When the 30-by-30 plan is completed, FPL expects to be the biggest solar energy operator in the US.
The company also plans to invest heavily in advanced and innovative battery storage technology.
FPL’s President and CEO, Eric Silagy, said:
“FPL is not your traditional electric company. We’re a technology company that delivers power, and we’ve long believed in making smart, forward-thinking infrastructure investments to produce tangible, long-term benefits – cleaner air, lower electric rates and reliable service – for our customers and our state.”
“Now we’re taking our long-standing clean energy commitment to the next level. Bottom line, this bold, innovative plan is the right thing to do for our customers and for our fast-growing state, and we look forward to working with local and state officials and our regulators to make this vision a reality.”
Comments by the Governor
Ron DeSantis, the Governor of California, said:
“I am supportive of programs that will provide Floridians with greater access to affordable, clean energy which will help propel the State to a healthier future. We live in the Sunshine State and solar energy is a natural resource that should be seriously considered.”
“FPL’s initiative is important. As Florida’s energy needs continue to grow at a rapid pace, it is important that we diversify our energy resources. This is vital to the economic well-being of our State and quality of life for residents.”
What is solar energy
The terms ‘solar energy‘ or ‘solar power‘ energy mean capturing the Sun’s energy and then converting it into electricity. We use that electricity to light up our homes, regulate temperatures inside buildings, and power machines and vehicles.
Solar energy is one of many types of renewable energy. Renewable energy is energy that comes from an everlasting source. In other words, we never run out of it. ‘Everlasting,’ in this context, refers to the timescale of a human rather than a geological timescale.
We never run out of the Sun’s energy, i.e., the Sun is in the sky every day. Wind energy is another type of renewable energy. So are biomass energy, geothermal energy, and hydropower.