Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) today celebrates Manatee County for being home to more than one million FPL solar panels. FPL presented the county with a commemorative plaque, honoring them as one of only five Florida counties to have more than one million FPL solar panels installed. Manatee County reached this milestone at the end of January with the completion of the FPL Elder Branch Solar Energy Center.

Completion of the FPL Elder Branch Solar Energy Center earlier this year brought Manatee County’s total to four FPL solar energy centers. It joined the FPL Manatee Solar Energy Center (2016), the FPL Southfork Solar Energy Center (2020) and the FPL Willow Solar Energy Center (2021). Together, these four solar energy centers are capable of generating 298 MW of quiet, emissions-free energy. That’s enough to power 60,000 homes and reduces carbon emissions equivalent to taking 56,000 cars off the road each year.

Manatee County ranks fifth in the state for the number of FPL-installed solar panels, with nearly 1.1 million panels. They help FPL move closer to its goal of installing 30 million solar panels throughout the state, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2025—five years ahead of schedule.