Panhandle start-up says it's planning large solar power plant - St. Petersburg Times
there is a thread about this that I posted on 6/25...sounds exciting!
there is a thread about this that I posted on 6/25...sounds exciting!
Energy Farm, Inc. - SoWal Solar Company to Build 74 Megawatt Facility
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Is this the same one or a different one?
http://www.sowal.com/bb/nature-environment/48818-solar-company-built-walton-co.html
http://www.sowal.com/bb/nature-environment/48818-solar-company-built-walton-co.html
sorry, glenda, I missed your thread. There is only one of which I'm aware.
[merged]
More details to come soon.
More details to come soon.
The current July issue of National Geographic has an interesting article on the electricity grid. Includes a discussion of the challenges of adding renewable energy to the grid.
I'm not so certain that this was the "something big" that he was referring to. Not to say that this $300 million dollar facility isn't "something big," but that is only a piece of the pie. I read that Shelton will be formerly announcing this "energy farm" next week.
I'm just wondering if Owl's Head/Freeport Plantation will soon become NW Florida's self sustaining community. That might be one way to sell those properties. My understanding is that the 500 acres is tucked between Owl's Head and Freeport Plantation and that the energy farm isn't the only thing those "German partners" are buying into.
I'm just wondering if Owl's Head/Freeport Plantation will soon become NW Florida's self sustaining community. That might be one way to sell those properties. My understanding is that the 500 acres is tucked between Owl's Head and Freeport Plantation and that the energy farm isn't the only thing those "German partners" are buying into.
Plans announced for Florida's largest solar plant ? without new state subsidies
by Julie Patel on June 28, 2010 09:00 AM
(link to article)
A renewable energy start-up will unveil plans for what could be the Sunshine state's largest solar panel plant at the Clean Energy Congress this week.
Energy Farm Inc., based in Santa Rosa Beach, will announce its plan to build a solar panel plant on 550 acres in Walton County that produces 74 megawatts of energy ? enough to power 12,000 homes. Construction on the plant will be kicked off by year-end and the project will be complete sometime next year, according to Energy Farm.
Shelton Stone, president of the company, and about 120 "citizen delegates" plan to attend the Congress to discuss renewable energy proposals and make recommendations.
?The Congress was called as a way to turn our grief over the oil spill into action,? Susan Glickman, an organizer of the event, said in a statement. ?We invited Mr. Stone and others to emphasize the fact that Floridians already have the will, the capital, and the technology to create a clean energy future.?
Florida Business Network for a Clean Energy Economy, which is hosting the event, has 15 member groups including renewable energy companies advocating clean energy legislation in Florida.
But projects like the Energy Farm solar plant will test how feasible large renewable energy plants are in Florida without new state legislation granting incentives from taxpayers or utility customers.
Stone wrote in an e-mail that the $300 million solar plant will be financed with private equity and loans guaranteed by the Department of Energy and the loans will be repaid through long-term contracts with utilities that buy the power.
But the contracts are not finalized. Stone said the company is close to striking a deal on selling 42 megawatts and is in talks to sell the rest.
PowerSouth owns the grid around where the new plant will be built. "We will be selling the power to another utility and 'wheeling' it to their system," Stone said.
The plant does not require Public Service Commission approval because it's just slightly under the 75-megawatt threshold for Florida's Power Plant Siting Act.
Florida Power & Light opened a 25-megawatt solar plant in DeSoto County last year and plans to complete a 75-megawatt solar thermal plant by the end of the year. The plants were built under a provision in a 2008 law to encourage clean energy production by allowing utilities to pass the costs of renewable energy plants to customers without full regulatory review.
The Clean Energy Congress starts at 10 a.m. Monday and 8:30 a.m. Tuesday and can be viewed live online on the Florida Channel.
by Julie Patel on June 28, 2010 09:00 AM
(link to article)
A renewable energy start-up will unveil plans for what could be the Sunshine state's largest solar panel plant at the Clean Energy Congress this week.
Energy Farm Inc., based in Santa Rosa Beach, will announce its plan to build a solar panel plant on 550 acres in Walton County that produces 74 megawatts of energy ? enough to power 12,000 homes. Construction on the plant will be kicked off by year-end and the project will be complete sometime next year, according to Energy Farm.
Shelton Stone, president of the company, and about 120 "citizen delegates" plan to attend the Congress to discuss renewable energy proposals and make recommendations.
?The Congress was called as a way to turn our grief over the oil spill into action,? Susan Glickman, an organizer of the event, said in a statement. ?We invited Mr. Stone and others to emphasize the fact that Floridians already have the will, the capital, and the technology to create a clean energy future.?
Florida Business Network for a Clean Energy Economy, which is hosting the event, has 15 member groups including renewable energy companies advocating clean energy legislation in Florida.
But projects like the Energy Farm solar plant will test how feasible large renewable energy plants are in Florida without new state legislation granting incentives from taxpayers or utility customers.
Stone wrote in an e-mail that the $300 million solar plant will be financed with private equity and loans guaranteed by the Department of Energy and the loans will be repaid through long-term contracts with utilities that buy the power.
But the contracts are not finalized. Stone said the company is close to striking a deal on selling 42 megawatts and is in talks to sell the rest.
PowerSouth owns the grid around where the new plant will be built. "We will be selling the power to another utility and 'wheeling' it to their system," Stone said.
The plant does not require Public Service Commission approval because it's just slightly under the 75-megawatt threshold for Florida's Power Plant Siting Act.
Florida Power & Light opened a 25-megawatt solar plant in DeSoto County last year and plans to complete a 75-megawatt solar thermal plant by the end of the year. The plants were built under a provision in a 2008 law to encourage clean energy production by allowing utilities to pass the costs of renewable energy plants to customers without full regulatory review.
The Clean Energy Congress starts at 10 a.m. Monday and 8:30 a.m. Tuesday and can be viewed live online on the Florida Channel.
Thank you - it is very interesting so I am putting the link up
Electrical Grid - National Geographic Magazine
Expert says clean energy technology should be subsidized | tallahassee.com | Tallahassee Democrat
More on solar in FL. And IMO a $2 per watt rebate would be plenty good now that prices are down.
This is a great thread
More on solar in FL. And IMO a $2 per watt rebate would be plenty good now that prices are down.
This is a great thread
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With Freeport being designated as an "economic zone" in Florida, there will definitely be some subsidies in the way of costs of equipment and labor. It (being a designated "economic zone") really is a huge deal and makes Freeport very attractive to industries looking to relocate.