The Orlando Utilities Commission, the municipal utility that provides water and electric service to residents of Orlando, is making headway in its push to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Over the summer, the utility began drawing 108.5 megawatts of electricity from two new solar facilities: Taylor Creek Solar Energy Center in east Orange County and Harmony Solar Energy Center in St. Cloud. The facilities generate enough electricity to power about 22,000 homes. The two solar fields, which are owned and operated by Florida Renewable Partners and are part of the Florida Municipal Solar Project, encompass 1,500 acres and collectively house nearly 600,000 rotating solar panels.
Clint Bullock, general manager and CEO of OUC, called it a “monumental event” in OUC’s nearly 100-year history. “We are on our way to becoming a leading solar energy provider on a watts-per-customer basis in Florida,” he says.
OUC is also preparing to test a cloud-tracking technology that could predict the impact of cloud movement over the two solar facilities. The “sky cam” units being designed and built by UCF engineering students could help OUC anticipate momentary losses of solar power due to clouds, giving OUC time to ramp up other power generation units to fill the gaps. “Satellite data is a little delayed, and we needed something more real time,” says Justin Kramer, supervisor of emerging technologies for OUC.