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Duke Energy Florida to begin commercial operations at 8.8-MW Fla. solar plant

Duke Energy Florida LLC will begin commercial operations at the 8.8-MW Suwannee solar farm in Live Oak, Fla., on Dec. 14. The solar farm comprises 44,000 solar panels spanning over 70 acres.

Situated at the site of three now-retired natural gas units, the solar facility started operating in November. Originally built in 1950s to generate electricity from oil, the retired units were later converted to run on natural gas. The other three 1980s-era gas units, referred to as the Suwannee River CT units, are still in operation at the site.

Additionally, the Duke Energy Corp. subsidiary has been given the authorization by the Florida Public Service Commission through a settlement to add up to 700 MW of solar power to the grid in the next four years, catalyzing the company's 10-year plant for renewable installation.

Duke Energy Florida plans to develop the 74.9-MW Hamilton Solar Facility in Jasper, Fla., consisting of 300,000 solar panels over 550 acres, as part of the settlement. Construction is expected to start in 2018, according to a Dec. 12 news release.