Photo by Chris Pankow, 11/10/08

November 14, 2008

HERE COMES THE SUN

Florida Keys Electric Co-op Installs its First Solar Array in the Florida Keys

Florida Keys Electric Cooperative is completing the installation of its first commercial photovoltaic array in the Florida Keys. The array is the second largest in the state of Florida, according to installer Nettles Electric.

Earlier this year, FKEC applied for and received $1 million worth of funding from the Internal Revenue Service’s Clean Renewable Energy Bond program, administered by the CFC. The bond will be used to install approximately 120 kilowatts of solar power generation.  The Marathon project is the first phase and will produce a maximum capacity of 96.6 kilowatts.  The second phase is planned for installation within FKEC’s Crawl Key Substation and will have a capacity of 21 kilowatts.

"FKEC is committed to finding alternative energy solutions and we are proud to be adding clean, green power to our system," said CEO Scott Newberry. "The process of planning this installation has also taught us a lot about solar power. To me, one of most disappointing discoveries is that despite how long solar power technology has been in use, it is still very inefficient and expensive compared to traditional methods of power generation."

FKEC's new array will provide all the annual energy needs for approximately 10 homes at a contract cost for installation of $749,000.  Assuming a 15-year life for the array, each kWh produced will cost 40 cents without factoring in any annual maintenance cost. This is about four times more expensive than FKEC’s current purchased power cost.

"We are continually looking ahead and are hoping that with increased demand from utilities like FKEC, solar power generation will become more cost effective," said Newberry.

The cooperative's solar project is in part a response to Florida Gov. Charlie Crist's request that 20 percent of the state's energy be provided through renewable resources by 2020.

Newberry noted that the 20 percent goal is going to be hard to meet in the Keys where appropriate solar power generation sites are difficult to find. Solar generation requires large areas of cleared land that must be in the sun all day, without any shadows or shade. If a shadow falls across one panel, all the other panels connected to it in series stop producing energy.

FKEC's first solar array is installed on a half-acre field owned by FKEC adjacent to its Marathon Operations Center. 

The array consists of 552 separate 175-watt solar modules.   There are also 27 separate DC/AC inverters to convert the electricity from DC to AC.  The array is tied directly into FKEC’s electric grid and will be distributing solar power to all homes and businesses served by the Marathon substation.

The array's expected annual output is 127,000 kilowatt hours.  FKEC sells roughly 700,000,000 kilowatt hours per year.