Tampa’s largest solar installation is complete. Rated at 23 megawatts, the photovoltaic (PV) array on 106 acres of land near our Big Bend Power Station in Apollo Beach consists of more than 200,000 thin-film solar panels and produces enough sun to power nearly 3,300 homes. The array will provide environmental savings of up to 30,000 tons of carbon dioxide every year – which is the equivalent of removing up to 6,000 cars from the road.
“Tampa Electric is proud to have built the Tampa Bay Area’s largest solar array,” said Gordon Gillette, president of Tampa Electric. “This investment in large-scale solar using the latest technology further demonstrates our commitment to clean energy while we continue to deliver affordable and reliable energy to our 730,000 customers.”
Unlike our other PV installations, the Big Bend system has been designed to tilt the more than 200,000 panels to track east to west, maximizing their exposure to the sun and the amount of electricity they produce. More than 13,500 steel posts, produced by Tampa Bay Steel, will support the solar structure.
This system is connected to on-site weather-monitoring stations that automatically identify high-wind conditions and moves the panels to a position that safely withstand high-wind conditions. The station has been designed to withstand hurricane winds and flood conditions.
Tampa Electric has invested more than $50 million in large-scale solar installations in recent years. Since 2000, customers have been able to voluntarily purchase renewable energy from the company’s other solar arrays at LEGOLAND Florida, the Florida Aquarium, Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo, the Museum of Science and Industry, Tampa Electric’s Manatee Viewing Center and two schools. Visit our website to learn more about our Renewable Energy program, Tampa’s largest solar installation in Apollo Beach and our other solar installations.