FPL’s NextEra Energy to power up largest photovoltaic field in U.S.

Florida Power & Light Co., Juno Beach, Fla., announced Oct. 7 that it expects its DeSoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center in Arcadia, Fla., to begin delivering electricity to customers later this month — ahead of schedule. The facility will overtake Nevada’s Nellis Solar Power Plant for the title of largest solar photovoltaic facility in the nation and in North America. Constructed in less than a year, the DeSoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center uses over 90,000 photovoltaic panels to turn the sun’s rays into enough electricity to power more than 3,000 homes.

The DeSoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center is one of three new commercial-scale solar power plants FPL is building in Florida, along with solar energy centers in Martin County and at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Together, these facilities will have 110 MW of capacity by the end of 2010 and are expected to make Florida the second largest solar power-producing state in the country.