Deep in the heart of Florida, the Bonnie Mine Solar site produces nearly 40 megawatts of sun power from Tampa Electric. And that’s valuable for every customer we serve.
The community got a close-up look at Bonnie Mine in Bartow on May 3 when Tampa Electric hosted an open house to showcase one of the many and growing large solar arrays we’re bringing online to serve people like you. The first leg of our solar plan is more than halfway done, and when complete in 2021, 6 million solar panels will deliver 600 megawatts of clean, safe, renewable energy to the electric grid. This will solidify Tampa Electric as a leader in solar power, with more solar power per customer than any other utility in Florida.
Here’s a look at Bonnie Mine by the numbers:
- Today 5,740 homes get their energy from the sun because of Bonnie Mine Solar Station.
- To power those homes, it takes more than 349,439 panels, and all of them automatically track the sun all day.
- By using solar energy instead of fossil fuel, this solar station will keep 53,000 tons of carbon dioxide out of the air.
“TECO is fully committed to solar power for the communities we serve, and Bonnie Mine is the latest success story we’re proud to share with Florida,” said Paul Warren, senior manager of Solar Operations. “It’s striking to imagine the potential of what we can do to grow solar power in this state – and the enthusiastic response we’ve received from our customers and the community has been great support, every step of the way.”
Nick Plott, regional manager with Tampa Electric’s Community Relations team, agreed.
“Our community partners overwhelmingly stated how they enjoyed their time and the knowledge they gained through touring the site,” he said. “Multiple members of the school board are asking us to facilitate a tour for fourth and fifth graders next school year.”
By midday on May 3, the sun had pressed through cloudy skies over Bonnie Mine. Solar open house visitors took van tours along the rows of photovoltaic panels, getting good looks at technology in a place teeming with wildlife, including sheep we brought in to manage vegetation, as at our Big Bend Solar Array and others. The sheep are far from alone; birds of all kinds, wild pigs, armadillos and other creatures inhabit this place. Alligators drift languidly in nearby lakes. A shy bull is rumored to lurk somewhere onsite.
It’s a fascinating part of Florida, a place that welcomed its first humans about 12,000 years ago. More recent is history familiar to many: air conditioning invented in 1902. The post-World War II migration to communities outside larger cities like Tampa. Disney World opening in 1965. All the while, the sun and people like you made this state what it is. And as we reach 2019, those two things – the sun and our customers – come together through a site called Bonnie Mine, where the future is nestled snugly amid the past, both of which we cherish. Just like the clean, safe solar power that we’re proud to bring to you, in a place that’s our home too.
No Comments Found