Energy 5.0 will build the 25MW facility on a 350-acre site in Polk County. The company claimed that the project will be one of the largest solar facilities in the nation.
The project will include approximately 100,000 silicon-based photovoltaic panels that generate electricity when exposed to sunlight. The 25MW facility is expected to produce more than 48,000MW hours of electricity per year – enough output to serve the electric energy needs of more than 3,400 homes.
Over the 25-year contract term, the project is expected to avoid the emission of more than one million tons of carbon dioxide when compared to a natural gas-fired peaking combustion turbine.
The contract is expected to promote the state’s goal of encouraging the production of renewable energy produced by generating facilities in Florida, provide the basis for new investment, economic development and job creation in Polk County and in the state.
The company said that the contract is also expected to reduce the environmental impacts associated with electricity generation, protect the company and its customers from technical and operational risks through its energy-only, fixed pricing and provide fuel diversity benefits.
Bud Cherry, chairman of Energy 5.0, said: “As our company’s flagship solar power project, this undertaking will be a showcase for zero-emission, renewable power in the Southeast.”
