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Report: Orlando, Fla., utility to add solar, hydrogen systems

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Report: Orlando, Fla., utility to add solar, hydrogen systems

The Orlando Utilities Commission, Orlando, Fla.'s municipal electric utility, is planning to double its solar generation through two sites that will have individual capacities of as much as 74.5 MW.

Each project would sit on about 500 to 600 acres in Osceola County, according to an Oct. 7 report in the Orlando Sentinel. The privately owned solar facilities would reportedly sell their output to the utility under a 20-year power purchase agreement at a cost estimated to be more than $200 million.

The first of the facilities is expected online by Dec. 31, 2022, and the second is slated to be operational by Dec. 31, 2023. The Orlando Utilities Commission's deal for two new solar plants also includes two batteries that, combined, will be able to produce 1 MW of power for 10 hours, the Orlando Sentinel reported.

The utility is also developing a hydrogen system for generating electricity, which will produce and store hydrogen gas. The project is being funded by several partners, including a $4 million grant provided by the U.S. Department of Energy for the project, which has a total cost of $9 million, according to the Orlando Sentinel. The hydrogen system would serve as a form of storage for the utility as well, kicking in when solar generation is unavailable.

The solar and hydrogen projects were scheduled to be reviewed Oct. 8 by the utility's commission.