Utility Florida Power & Light, a subsidiary of the FPL Group (NYSE: FPL), and real estate developer Kitson & Partners announced a $2 billion plan to build an environmentally friendly city in southwest Florida that will be powered by a 75-megawatt (MW) solar power system.
According to a release by Kitson & Partners The 17,000-acre city of Babcock Ranch will consume less power than the proposed FPL on-site solar facilities will produce, allowing it to become the first U.S. city powered completely solar energy.
As planned the city will also be home to an integrated smart grid, and all commercial buildings and homes will be certified as energy-efficient and constructed according to Florida Green Building Council standards.
The project plan aims for 19,500 houses and about 6 million square feet of retail, light industrial, and office space .
In addition, plans call for over half of the city’s 17,000 to be permanently protected as greenways and open space, and the city is adjacent to the 73,000-acre Babcock Ranch Preserve–a conservation purchase made by the state of Florida.
"I believe clean energy and sustainable development are the future of the American economy," said Syd Kitson, chairman and CEO of Kitson & Partners, the Palm Beach Gardens, Florida-based developer of the city. "Babcock Ranch will be a living laboratory for companies, workers and families ready to reap the rewards of innovation. No other place in America will be home to such a concentration of new green jobs and technologies, energy-saving advances and global economic leadership."
Subject to State of Florida approvals, groundbreaking on the FPL solar facility is targeted for late 2009, with construction of the city center targeted for mid-2010 and construction of the first residential and commercial buildings targeted for late 2010.
Florida Power & Light Company Chief Development Officer Eric Silagy said: "FPL has secured the necessary land, local zoning and transmission access for a 75 megawatt project and could move forward with construction as early as the end of the year pending such approvals."
"Audubon has supported the concept behind Babcock Ranch since day one because of Kitson & Partners’ dedication to conservation," said National Audubon Society COO Bob Perciasepe. "Kitson & Partners have taken on great challenges to preserve an uninterrupted portion of the Florida landscape, and demonstrated that Babcock Ranch will be able to function like no other modern city–in balance with the natural world around it."
Kate Johnson, National Clean Energy Representative for the Sierra Club, stressed the project’s potential to influence other U.S. cities. "Now is the time to rethink how we can make development work for everyone," said Johnson. "Babcock Ranch has the potential of showing America that you can have a vibrant, prosperous community without sacrificing Florida’s clean air and water. Our common fight against climate change will require exactly this kind of large-scale commitment to clean technology and sustainable development."
Babcock Ranch will also feature sustainable water management and conservation; street lamps designed to reduce light pollution; electric car chargers; and green roofs that reduce energy loss.
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