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A lot of Sun, a lot of Savings.
We’re harnessing the sun’s energy and investing in solar projects to contribute to a cleaner energy future, reducing our use of fuel to generate electricity and lowering fuel costs for customers. While the price of other fuel sources to generate power can cause bills to fluctuate, solar power is reliable and consistent, and the cost is predictable. With fuel costs historically high in 2022, our solar power generation saved customers approximately $78 million in fuel costs for that year alone. Learn more about how the cost of fuel impacts customers' bills.
From the 15 solar power plants we operate today, we’re expanding to power 260,000 homes by the end of 2026. That’s a lot of savings, and cleaner air. This year, the reduction in carbon emissions will equate to removing more than 1 million cars from local roadways.
Tampa Electric’s investment in solar energy helps to:
- Save fuel costs for customers and helps to reduce the impact of natural gas prices.
- Conserve water. Tampa Electric has saved more than 4.3 billion gallons of water in an area of the state with critical concerns about water use.
- Make progress toward our vision of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, which will give all customers a cleaner-energy future.
Fuel savings for customers will continue to increase as we bring new solar projects online. You deserve a clean energy future that will better protect your health and our planet, while keeping affordability at the forefront. We’re excited about our net-zero vision for the future, and we invite you to learn more about our journey.
Solar Savings FAQ
A. We are focused on keeping energy bills affordable, increasing solar power generation faster would be expensive and cause bills to climb. There is also an issue of space. The land required to generate enough solar power for our service areas would be significant, in a time when land has peaked in value in the state of FL. It is not feasible to transition fully to solar power. Energy storage technologies would be required to store energy during the day for nighttime use. That being said, we are investing in various battery and energy storage technologies to make solar power generation go further.
A. In 2022, our power generation mix for West Central Florida is approximately 82 percent natural gas, 10 percent solar and 8 percent coal. Natural gas produces about half the amount of carbon as coal during the production of electricity, so it is better for the environment. This year, the cost of natural gas has risen due to global issues, causing energy bills to go up nationally. Our investments in renewable generation, such as solar power, enable fuel savings for customers and continues our commitment toward a low-carbon future.
Tampa Electric is continuing to expand our solar capacity each year. Our customers will realize about $78 million in fuel savings in 2022 due to solar power generation, lessening the impact of rising natural gas prices. Fuel savings for customers will continue to increase as we bring new solar projects online.
A. After completing the first 655 megawatts (MW) of solar power in January 2021, Tampa Electric committed to double its investment in solar. The latest phase of 235 MW includes four new solar projects — Magnolia Solar and Big Bend Solar II, both in Hillsborough County, Mountain View Solar in Pasco County, and Jamison Solar in Polk County. Tampa Electric’s solar projects can now produce 893 MW, enough to power more than 140,000 homes. The company has another 200 MW of solar under construction at four more sites, so by the end of this year, we will have more than 1,000 MW of solar.
Three other projects will be complete at the end of 2023, when we will have enough solar energy to power 200,000 homes. By 2026, we will power 260,000 homes with solar, and our power generation mix will be 82 percent natural gas, 17 percent solar and 1 percent coal. By 2031, our solar capacity will be nearly 30 percent of our power generation mix.
A. Solar energy does not produce air pollution or greenhouse gases when operating. It replaces or reduces the use of other energy sources that have larger effects on the environment.
