Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) have received approval to begin construction of three new solar energy centers by the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC). This will make Florida the second largest producer of utility-scale solar power in the United States.

At this stage the three projects are in the early planning stages and so there is still no certainty that they will come to fruition.

The three solar power projects in question are:

DeSoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center

The DeSoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center is a planned photovoltaic solar array that will be capable of generating 25MW of electricity. This will make it the world’s largest photovoltaic solar facility and will provide enough energy for 7,000 people. The project is planned to be constructed on land owned by FPL in DeSoto County and is expected to be in commercial production by December 2009.

Martin Next Generation Solar Energy Center

The Martin Next Generation Solar Energy Center project uses a hybrid design that will be added to FPL’s existing Martin Plant site. The project will provide a capacity of 75MW of solar thermal power which will be connected to an existing combined cycle natural gas power plant. When the sun is providing the energy less natural gas will be used. This project is expected to be completed in 2010.

Space Coast Next Generation Solar Energy Center

The Space Coast Next Generation Solar Energy Center project is another photovoltaic solar power plant that will be located at the Kennedy Space Center. The facility will be capable of generating a capacity of 10MW of photovoltaic power and is expected to be operational in the first quarter of 2010.

These new solar power facilities will avoid nearly 3.5 million tons of greenhouse gases and can be equated to removing 25,000 cars from the road each year.