400-Megawatt Solar Farm Planned in Northern Florida

September 29th, 2011 by Glenn Meyers

400-megawatt solar farm announced by National Solar Power

National Solar Power has announced it will build the Southeast’s largest solar farm in Gadsden County, Florida. The planned 400-megawatt solar farm – a $1.5 billion investment – is expected to generate hundreds of new jobs in the renewable energy sector.

“Gadsden County was chosen for this significant project for many reasons, including its great year-round climate, strong community leadership, incredibly inviting regional support and the strong potential for future economic growth,” said James Scrivener, National Solar Power CEO in a press announcement.

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In a statement, Florida Governor Rick Scott welcomed the project to Florida: “It’s great to see innovative companies like National Solar Power choose to make their headquarters in Florida.”

After completing the local and state permitting, the firs phase of the project is expected to be operational within six months after ground is broken.

Hensel Phelps Construction Co. will design, build and operate the solar farms. National Solar Power estimates the project will create 400 jobs during the five-year construction phase with up to 120 permanent jobs.

A minimum of 20 farms will be built on 200-acre sites at a price tag of approximately $70 million each.

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During a news conference, Scrivener outlined a partnership National Solar Power is establishing with Tallahassee Community College (TCC) to create a solar energy educational and training center at TCC’s Gadsden County campus – featuring a 2 MW utility scale solar farm. This endeavor should help train potential employees for the project.

National Solar Power’s planned 400-megawatt farm will be capable of providing enough renewable energy to power some 32,000 homes. The company has entered into an agreement with Progress Energy Florida and is having discussions with other potential customers who might purchase power generated by the solar farms. In total, the company expects to use 4,000 acres of property for the project.

“National Solar Power’s decision to build a world-class solar facility in Gadsden County will be a tremendous benefit to the region,” said David Gardner, executive director of the Gadsden County Chamber of Commerce. “The hundreds of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars the project will help to jump start our region’s economy and help many in our community earn a new paycheck.”

Photo Credit: National Solar Power

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Tags: clean energy developments, Gadsden County, Gadsden County Chamber of Commerce, Hensel Phelps Construction, James Scrivener, n, National Solar Power to build 400-megawatt solar farm in Florida, new solar jobs expected in Florida, renewable energy news

About the Author

Glenn Meyers is a writer, producer, and director. Meyers was editor and site director of Green Building Elements, a contributing writer for CleanTechnica, and is founder of Green Streets MediaTrain, a communications connection and eLearning hub. As an independent producer, he's been involved in the development, production and distribution of television and distance learning programs for both the education industry and corporate sector. He also is an avid gardener and loves sustainable innovation.

tibi stibi

1.5 biljion for 400 MW that is almost 4$ per MW, any idea why the costs are so high?
Alan

In spite of the current GOP Florida government.
Alan

Has anyone thought about building these about ten feet off the ground so maybe cattle could graze and rest under the panels? Maybe even build on a cattle farm/ranch so the farmer/rancher gets some extra cash, the cattle can get out of the sun and still produce the planned power.
- Anonymous
  
  All the ground mount systems I’ve seen are installed close to the ground.
  
  My guess is that the cost of extra materials and labor needed to elevate the arrays would be greater than what the land could produce with grazing/farming.
  
  Bunnies and guinea pigs, you could ranch them. Both good eating.
  
  Chickens, they’d roost on top of the panels and create the need for cleaning….
Anonymous

Looking at all the grass around those panels in the picture, I’m thinking we need to start eating more rabbit….