In the struggle to develop and implement sustainable energy systems in Florida, Babcock Ranch might appear to some to be a shining hope. But buried below glossy images and well-produced concept videos, you'll find underdeveloped science and political hesitation that may prevent the project from living up to it's high expectations.
Syd Kitson, the CEO of Kitson and Partners, presented his vision of the "smartest city" to business leaders and other energy conscious individuals at the Sustainable Florida Conference in Palm Beach Gardens Wednesday.
His real estate development company is striving to build the world's first 100 percent solar-powered city.
The 17,000-acre property is located a little northeast of Fort Myers and is surrounded by a 72,000-acre wildlife preserve. Kitson and Partners have been working on this massive project for the past six years and say they already own the land and have attained all the necessary entitlements and permits.
One major thing they lack, however, is a 75 megawatt solar array to power their city. In the spring the Florida Legislature rejected a proposal by Florida Power and Light Co. to build the largest solar-powered generator in the country because of the financial burden it would have created on taxpayers and ratepayers.
"It's been frustrating," Kitson said candidly, "to not have the Legislature approve our ability to build this 75 megawatt solar-powered generating facility we'd like to put in at Babcock Ranch."
Kitson and FPL say the increase would be minimal, roughly 30-40 cents per month for everyone who has an electric bill. But the benefits, Kitson says, outweigh the costs.
"You can literally create new industries," he said. "And we think it will lessen the burden on the overall tax base in a very significant way."
While that argument is disputed by some legislators, it's not the only challenge potentially facing Babcock Ranch.
Roger Lewis, who is the manager of legislative and regulatory relations at Lakeland Electric, says he doesn't see how a 75 megawatt generator could support a city that covers an area roughly four times the size of Manhattan.
Lakeland Electric uses a 23 megawatt solar array to provide some of the power to it's customers in and around Lakeland, Florida. But that solar-generated energy represents only a small percentage of the power its residents actually use.
Even during peak energy production with the solar generator, it only accounts for 1.5 percent of what Lakeland Electric's customers use. Even if you multiplied that figure by 3 to account for the larger generator size FPL wants to put in, it still wouldn't come close to providing enough energy.
"I'm not sure how I would compare [Babcock Ranch] to the size of Lakeland Electric service territory, but it's certainly at least half of that," said Lewis. "And so I just don't see how 75 megawatts can produce enough power, even at peak."
Kitson's claim of being a city that runs 100 percent on solar power is also getting some criticism.
"The claim of being 100 percent energy independent is simply not feasible given the current level of technology in storage," said Lewis. "There's a credibility gap."
Kitson counters, saying their use of smart-grid technology and net metering make that statement true.
"We'll produce more power than we use," he said.
Because there is no viable technology for storing renewable energy, the power would be sold to FPL, and then taken back, as needed, from the grid. This energy swap makes Kitson's claim technically true even though the initial perception of a city running independently on solar energy is not.
Kitson says they want to use the city as a living experiment, where renewable energy theories and concepts can be tested in the real world.
"That's the very thesis that we're trying to put forward here at Babcock Ranch," he said. "Let's find those technologies. Lets solve the storage issue."
Florida Power and Light and Kitson and Partners say they're hopeful they'll be able to get approval for the solar facility in 2011, and begin construction on the city later that year.
Lane Wright can be reached at lane@sunshinestatenews.com or 561-247-1063
