On Thursday, December 7th, 2017, Greenwood Energy, now Greenwood Sustainable Infrastructure (GSI), attended the dedication of the Kenneth P. Ksionek Community Solar Farm, the Orlando Utility Commission’s (“OUC”) most recent addition to its solar generating resources.
The Kenneth P. Ksionek Community Solar Farm is two solar arrays totaling 12.57 MW DC and it is named after OUC’s current General Manager and CEO. It is located at OUC’s Stanton Energy Center. One part is installed atop a closed byproduct landfill using ballasted foundation while the other array is traditional ground mount. Both are fixed tilt PV and in total comprises 37,500 solar modules. All electrical output is sold to OUC under two long-term Power Purchase Agreements.
At the dedication ceremony remarks were given by Gregory Lee, OUC’s Board President, the Honorable Teresa Jacobs, Mayor of Orange County, and the Honorable Buddy Dyer, Mayor of the City of Orlando. Closing remarks were given by Kenneth Ksionek.
Private development of the projects began in 2014 by American Capital Energy, Inc. (ACE), who was awarded the rights to build the project by OUC following an RFP process. In 2016, Greenwood Energy assisted ACE and OUC with the final development of the project. Prior to construction, Greenwood Energy acquired the rights to the project and they continue to own and operate it. Construction was undertaken by Manhattan Construction beginning in October 2016 and the project achieved Substantial Completion in September 2017.
The addition of the project has doubled OUC’s solar capacity and is expected to generate enough energy to power around 1,300 homes per year. Energy from the project is being used to expand OUC’s community solar program, an option that allows OUC customers to access affordable clean energy without the up-front costs and restrictions associated with installing solar on their home or business. As it has done for existing solar farms, OUC will provide live production status for the Kenneth P. Ksionek Community Solar Farm on its website.