Florida has long been known as the Sunshine State. WREC and its wholesale power provider, Seminole Electric Cooperative, are making huge investments in solar to meet the growing energy needs of our Members.
Florida is currently ranked 3rd in the United States for solar panel potential and is the 5th fastest growing solar market in the country. The increased efficiency of solar panels and the decrease in cost has fueled the growth in new solar projects.
Cooperatives across the country are leading the way in renewable energy development and production. WREC is proud to announce Seminole’s investment in 340 Megawatts of new solar capacity slated to come on-line in phases over the next 4 years.
This new solar capacity is projected to produce enough energy to power over 55,000 Cooperative homes throughout Florida. WREC and Seminole anticipate more investment in renewable energy, storm hardening, and grid modernization in the future as we prepare to meet our Member’s needs. In addition, WREC has existing solar arrays consisting of:
- a 3.15 kW array at the Billy E. Brown Corporate Center installed in 2009
- a 2.2 MW facility in Hardee County that went on-line in 2017
- a 120 kW array at our Crystal River office commissioned in 2018.
Members are also leading the way in adding solar to their homes. In 2017, there were 528 Members who had grid-tied solar arrays on their homes. As of July 2019, there are now 1,278 Members using home solar arrays, an increase of 750 new grid-tied systems since 2017. Member installations are increasing on a daily basis.
The sun is shining on WREC and our Members. We see a bright future not only in solar, but in battery storage technology and electric vehicles. We will always look for ways to improve and ensure our Members have a world-class electric system.