• FPL today announced it currently has a company record 16 new solar energy centers simultaneously under construction across the Sunshine State
• The new mark passes the previous peak of 14 solar energy centers simultaneously under construction in fall of 2020
• The new solar energy centers will add approximately 3.1 million solar panels to the state

Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) today announced it currently has a company record 16 new solar energy centers simultaneously under construction across the Sunshine State, passing the previous peak of 14 solar energy centers simultaneously under construction in fall of 2020.

“We are cementing Florida as a national leader in solar energy as we continue the largest solar buildout in the country – providing our customers with clean, reliable and affordable energy,” said FPL Chairman and CEO Eric Silagy. “This is an important milestone for our communities, the economy and the environment. Generating cost-effective solar energy is an integral piece of our Real Zero goal – to eliminate carbon emissions and create an even more resilient and sustainable energy future for our customers.”

The 16 sites include the Saw Palmetto Solar Energy Center in Bay County, the Anhinga Solar Energy Center in Clay County, the Chipola River Solar Energy Center in Calhoun County, the Flowers Creek Solar Energy Center in Calhoun County. Shirer Branch Solar Energy Center in Calhoun County, First City Solar Energy Center in Escambia County, Wild Azalea Solar Energy Center in Gadsen County, Apalachee Solar Energy Center in Jackson County, the Everglades Solar Energy Center in Miami-Dade County, the Cavendish Solar Energy Center in Okeechobee County, and the Etonia Creek Solar Energy Center in Putnam County.

According to FPL, the new solar energy centers will add approximately 3.1 million solar panels to the state, with several supporting FPL SolarTogether – the company’s popular community solar program and the largest of its kind in the country – which received approval for expansion last year by state regulators.

The construction is also expected to create up to 4,000 solar jobs statewide, with each site boasting 200 to 250 workers at peak construction. In addition to this influx of workers infusing dollars into local economies with the purchase of goods and services, each solar energy center will generate hundreds of thousands of dollars in local tax revenues each year.

Today’s news follows on the heels of FPL’s parent company, NextEra Energy, announcing in June its most ambitious carbon-emissions-reduction goal to date, pledging to eliminate carbon emissions from its operations by 2045. The comprehensive clean energy plan is aimed at decarbonizing FPL and making most of its operations carbon-free by no later than 2045. As part of its Zero Carbon Blueprint, FPL also plans to install 90,000 MW of solar energy in Florida.