Florida Power & Light Takes on New Project with FIU

This summer, one of Florida’s most prominent utility companies, Florida Power & Light, will be teaming up with Florida International University for a solar project that could revolutionize the way the university functions. According to reports from FIU, FPL is planning to design and build commercial-scale solar energy installations, along with a solar distribution facility, in one of the biggest clean energy projects Miami has seen in years.

In its entirety, the installations will consist of 23 canopy grids boasting more than 5,700 solar photovoltaic panels, and the solar capacity will likely hit 1.6 megawatts in total. The structures are expected to be completed by the end of the summer in an unused portion of the FIU parking lot, and it will act as a primary tool for collecting data about energy distribution throughout FIU facilities.

Not only will the facility collect energy for use on campus, but it will also act as a research facility to examine the effects of solar energy distribution on electricity grids. In short, they will be investigating potential uses and expansions for clean energy as it pertains to Florida’s current solar situation.

Florida Power & Light has exemplified their growing interest in solar over the past few years, but their latest project is certainly a vow to consistency. Not to mention, the Florida utility company is also planning to expand their solar endeavors, hoping to triple their current solar power generation by the end of 2015. But while solar power plants are vital to the continued expansion of Florida's solar industry, it's the individual homeowners and businesses who truly hold the power to make or break solar energy in the Sunshine State, which is why the research at FIU’s new facility will be so crucial in the coming years.