Our valued Polk County customers know a lot about Tampa Electric – from our commitment to reliability to innovative, award-winning ways we help the environment. And of course they’re very familiar with LEGOLAND, which draws visitors from around the world.
Later this year, Tampa Electric’s connection to LEGOLAND and Polk County will be even stronger when we complete the installation of a 1.8-megawatt solar project at the Winter Haven theme park and resort, which was announced on April 21. Consisting of 5,292 panels, the system will provide much-desired shade over the park’s preferred parking lot.
“We’re honored that Tampa Electric approached us to host this large-scale project … the new installation ties directly to our sustainability efforts,” said Adrian Jones, general manager of LEGOLAND Florida Resort. “The solar panels will also enhance the experience of our guests by providing shade for more than 600 vehicles.”
The installation, led by Tampa Electric’s Chip Whitworth, manager of engineering & maintenance, is the company’s second commercial and governmental large-scale solar project. The first large-scale project was completed at Tampa International Airport in December 2015.
“We’ve developed a strong partnership with LEGOLAND,” said Whitworth. “An installation at one of Florida’s largest theme parks helps us educate the community and visitors to the park about the benefits of solar. Secondly, it sends a message to the community that large scale solar is becoming a feasible solution to generating electricity. And finally, a large-scale system like this benefits all Tampa Electric customers by keeping fuel costs low for everyone.”
The new system at LEGOLAND Florida Resort will join a 30-kilowatt (kW) PV installation Tampa Electric installed in 2014, atop the park’s Imagination Zone, a large, indoor attraction filled with hands-on activities for kids. It was one of seven PV arrays installed across West Central Florida that were funded through Tampa Electric’s Renewable Energy program.
Last fall, Tampa Electric announced plans to build the largest solar project in the Tampa Bay area. Construction will soon begin on a 23-MW facility that will feature more than 200,000 solar panels on 125 acres of company-owned land at the Big Bend Power Station in Apollo Beach. That solar project will be the largest ever built by Tampa Electric and will have the capacity to power more than 3,300 homes.
Tampa Electric’s Renewable Energy program makes it easy for customers and employees to purchase a portion of their electricity from renewable sources by signing up for $5 blocks of renewable energy. For each block purchased, Tampa Electric provides 200 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of renewable energy. In 2015 alone, Tampa Electric customers purchased almost 7 million kWh of renewable energy – enough to power more than 500 homes for one year. Visit tampaelectric.com/renewable to learn more and sign up.
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