It has been recently announced that the first city in the world to be powered by the sun will be constructed right here in Florida. Babcock Ranch has made an agreement with electric utility company, Florida Power & Light to build the world's largest photovoltaic power plant. This stepping stone for the green community which is located near Ft. Myers, FL. will also produce thousands of temporary jobs and roughly 20,000 permanent jobs for the state economy.
According to the Sierra Club website, the 17,000 acre city will consume less power than the FPL on-site solar facilities will produce, allowing it to become the first city on earth to be powered by by zero emission solar energy. All of the commercial buildings and homes in Babcock Ranch will be certified as energy efficient by the Florida Green Building Council.
This article appears in Aug 19-25, 2009.