City of Babcock Ranch to be solar-powered
Real estate developer Kitson & Partners today announced a landmark agreement with electric utility Florida Power & Light to build the world’s largest solar photovoltaic power plant at Babcock Ranch, Fla. – making it the world’s first city powered by solar energy. With Congress debating energy policy and the economy shedding jobs at a record pace, the Kitson-FPL deal will start the city on a path to create 20,000 permanent jobs.
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 city on earth powered by zero-emission solar energy. The city of Babcock Ranch will also be home to an integrated “smart grid” that will provide greater efficiencies and allow residents and businesses to monitor and control their energy consumption.
All commercial buildings and homes in the new city will be certified as energy-efficient and constructed according to Florida Green Building Council standards.
The City of Babcock Ranch is also a model of conservation: over half of its 17,000 acres will be permanently protected as greenways and open space, and the city is adjacent to the 73,000-acre Babcock Ranch Preserve. The Babcock Ranch Preserve was created by the largest-ever completed conservation purchase by the state of Florida, facilitated by Kitson & Partners.
Kitson & Partners is also launching a new Web site for Babcock Ranch at www.babcockranchflorida.com.