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Gidget

Beach Fanatic

Well that's pretty darn cool. I'm anxious to hear more.  If you see future info please post. 

Thanks!

Well that&#039;s pretty darn cool. I&#039;m anxious to hear more. If you see future info please post. 
 
Thanks!

Kurt

Admin

Yes- these are our friends Shelton & James. Their office is in Grayton Beach.  James told me last week something big was up. I will try to get more info.

Yes- these are our friends Shelton &amp; James. Their office is in Grayton Beach.  James told me last week something big was up. I will try to get more info.

DuneAHH

This seems like very positive progressive news.

scooterbug44

SoWal Expert

Great news - and timely!

I still plan to put my own solar panels up and sell power back though! :D

Great news - and timely! 
 
I still plan to put my own solar panels up and sell power back though! 😀

Shelton Stone. I know that guy. He was (is?) the General Manager of the Owl's Head development just North of Freeport. I wish him the best of luck. Any new industry around here's going to be good for the area.

Shelton Stone. I know that guy. He was (is?) the General Manager of the Owl&#039;s Head development just North of Freeport. I wish him the best of luck. Any new industry around here&#039;s going to be good for the area.

Zebraspots

[quote="ASH, post: 678936"]Shelton Stone. I know that guy. He was (is?) the General Manager of the Owl's Head development just North of Freeport. I wish him the best of luck. Any new industry around here's going to be good for the area.[/quote]

Especially one that helps us use less oil! 12,000 houses worth will add up fast.

<blockquote class="xfBb-quote" data-name="ASH">Shelton Stone. I know that guy. He was (is?) the General Manager of the Owl&#039;s Head development just North of Freeport. I wish him the best of luck. Any new industry around here&#039;s going to be good for the area.</blockquote> 
Especially one that helps us use less oil! 12,000 houses worth will add up fast.

Carol G

I am so glad to hear this!

I am not making light of the oil spill in any way, or blinding myself to the horrors of this disaster, but for my own personal sanity, I have to put some focus on the potential positive outcomes. Otherwise I spend far too much time wallowing in fear and anxiety and anger, and that just makes me useless.

My hope has been, and continues to be, that Walton County and the entire gulf coast region becomes a hotbed of alternative energy research and production. We desperately need new industry here to give balance to our lopsided tourist-driven economy, we desperately need jobs of all kinds for our un and under-employed workforce, and the whole world desperately needs clean energy. We've got land and resources and a community of sympathetic and enterprising people. The way I see it, the potential is huge - we just need the investors and risk-takers to get behind it.

(I've also said that the only way BP will ever be able to redeem itself as a corporation would be if they put all of their economic weight behind research and development of clean energy technologies. Yes I know how far-fetched an idea it is, but it's the option I'd rather focus on and draw energy to. It just would take one leader in that company with some spark of vision, and it would be the comeback story of the century. But I digress...)

Bravo Shelton & James, this is really good news! :clap:

I am so glad to hear this! 
 
I am not making light of the oil spill in any way, or blinding myself to the horrors of this disaster, but for my own personal sanity, I have to put some focus on the potential positive outcomes. Otherwise I spend far too much time wallowing in fear and anxiety and anger, and that just makes me useless. 
 
My hope has been, and continues to be, that Walton County and the entire gulf coast region becomes a hotbed of alternative energy research and production. We desperately need new industry here to give balance to our lopsided tourist-driven economy, we desperately need jobs of all kinds for our un and under-employed workforce, and the whole world desperately needs clean energy. We&#039;ve got land and resources and a community of sympathetic and enterprising people. The way I see it, the potential is huge - we just need the investors and risk-takers to get behind it. 
 
(I&#039;ve also said that the only way BP will ever be able to redeem itself as a corporation would be if they put all of their economic weight behind research and development of clean energy technologies. Yes I know how far-fetched an idea it is, but it&#039;s the option I&#039;d rather focus on and draw energy to. It just would take one leader in that company with some spark of vision, and it would be the comeback story of the century. But I digress...) 
 
Bravo Shelton &amp; James, this is really good news! :clap:

[quote="Carol G, post: 679126"]I am so glad to hear this!

I am not making light of the oil spill in any way, or blinding myself to the horrors of this disaster, but for my own personal sanity, I have to put some focus on the potential positive outcomes. Otherwise I spend far too much time wallowing in fear and anxiety and anger, and that just makes me useless.

My hope has been, and continues to be, that Walton County and the entire gulf coast region becomes a hotbed of alternative energy research and production. We desperately need new industry here to give balance to our lopsided tourist-driven economy, we desperately need jobs of all kinds for our un and under-employed workforce, and the whole world desperately needs clean energy. We've got land and resources and a community of sympathetic and enterprising people. The way I see it, the potential is huge - we just need the investors and risk-takers to get behind it.

(I've also said that the only way BP will ever be able to redeem itself as a corporation would be if they put all of their economic weight behind research and development of clean energy technologies. Yes I know how far-fetched an idea it is, but it's the option I'd rather focus on and draw energy to. It just would take one leader in that company with some spark of vision, and it would be the comeback story of the century. But I digress...)

Bravo Shelton & James, this is really good news! :clap:[/quote]

Very well stated.  I agree entirely.

<blockquote class="xfBb-quote" data-name="Carol G">I am so glad to hear this! 
 
I am not making light of the oil spill in any way, or blinding myself to the horrors of this disaster, but for my own personal sanity, I have to put some focus on the potential positive outcomes. Otherwise I spend far too much time wallowing in fear and anxiety and anger, and that just makes me useless. 
 
My hope has been, and continues to be, that Walton County and the entire gulf coast region becomes a hotbed of alternative energy research and production. We desperately need new industry here to give balance to our lopsided tourist-driven economy, we desperately need jobs of all kinds for our un and under-employed workforce, and the whole world desperately needs clean energy. We&#039;ve got land and resources and a community of sympathetic and enterprising people. The way I see it, the potential is huge - we just need the investors and risk-takers to get behind it. 
 
(I&#039;ve also said that the only way BP will ever be able to redeem itself as a corporation would be if they put all of their economic weight behind research and development of clean energy technologies. Yes I know how far-fetched an idea it is, but it&#039;s the option I&#039;d rather focus on and draw energy to. It just would take one leader in that company with some spark of vision, and it would be the comeback story of the century. But I digress...) 
 
Bravo Shelton &amp; James, this is really good news! :clap:</blockquote> 
Very well stated. I agree entirely.

[b]Solar Farm in Freeport[/b]

Sounds like Freeport may soon be getting a new business -- a solar farm of about 500 acres! Could be interesting.

Solar Farm in Freeport 
 
Sounds like Freeport may soon be getting a new business -- a solar farm of about 500 acres! Could be interesting.

GoodWitch58

[url=http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/panhandle-start-up-says-its-planning-large-solar-power-plant/1104807]Panhandle start-up says it's planning large solar power plant - St. Petersburg Times[/url]

there is a thread about this that I  posted on 6/25...sounds exciting!

<a href="http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/panhandle-start-up-says-its-planning-large-solar-power-plant/1104807" target="_blank" class="link link--external" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">Panhandle start-up says it&#039;s planning large solar power plant - St. Petersburg Times</a> 
 
there is a thread about this that I posted on 6/25...sounds exciting!

Is this the same one or a different one?

[url]http://www.sowal.com/bb/nature-environment/48818-solar-company-built-walton-co.html[/url]

Is this the same one or a different one? 
 
<a href="http://www.sowal.com/bb/nature-environment/48818-solar-company-built-walton-co.html" target="_blank" class="link link--external" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">http://www.sowal.com/bb/nature-environment/48818-solar-company-built-walton-co.html</a>

sorry, glenda, I missed your thread. There is only one of which I'm aware.

sorry, glenda, I missed your thread. There is only one of which I&#039;m aware.

[merged] 
 
More details to come soon.

NotDeadYet

The current July issue of National Geographic has an interesting article on the electricity grid. Includes a discussion of the challenges of adding renewable energy to the grid.

I'm not so certain that this was the "something big" that he was referring to. Not to say that this $300 million dollar facility isn't "something big," but that is only a piece of the pie. I read that Shelton will be formerly announcing this "energy farm" next week. 

I'm just wondering if Owl's Head/Freeport Plantation will soon become NW Florida's self sustaining community. That might be one way to sell those properties. My understanding is that the 500 acres is tucked between Owl's Head and Freeport Plantation and that the energy farm isn't the only thing those "German partners" are buying into.

I&#039;m not so certain that this was the &quot;something big&quot; that he was referring to. Not to say that this $300 million dollar facility isn&#039;t &quot;something big,&quot; but that is only a piece of the pie. I read that Shelton will be formerly announcing this &quot;energy farm&quot; next week. 
 
I&#039;m just wondering if Owl&#039;s Head/Freeport Plantation will soon become NW Florida&#039;s self sustaining community. That might be one way to sell those properties. My understanding is that the 500 acres is tucked between Owl&#039;s Head and Freeport Plantation and that the energy farm isn&#039;t the only thing those &quot;German partners&quot; are buying into.

[B]Plans announced for Florida's largest solar plant ? without new state subsidies[/B]

[B]by Julie Patel on June 28, 2010 09:00 AM[/B]

([URL="http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/business/realestate/housekeys/blog/2010/06/plans_announced_for_floridas_l.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ss-housekeys+%28House+Keys+%7C+Sun-Sentinel+Blogs%29"][B]link to article[/B][/URL])

A renewable energy start-up will unveil plans for what could be the Sunshine state's largest solar panel plant at the [URL="http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/business/realestate/housekeys/blog/2010/06/www.cleanenergycongress.org"]Clean Energy Congress [/URL]this week.
  Energy Farm Inc., based in Santa Rosa Beach, will announce its plan to build a solar panel plant on 550 acres in Walton County that produces 74 megawatts of energy ? enough to power 12,000 homes. Construction on the plant will be kicked off by year-end and the project will be complete sometime next year, according to Energy Farm.
  Shelton Stone, president of the company, and about 120 "citizen delegates" plan to attend the Congress to discuss renewable energy proposals and make recommendations.
  ?The Congress was called as a way to turn our grief over the oil spill into action,? Susan Glickman, an organizer of the event, said in a statement. ?We invited Mr. Stone and others to emphasize the fact that Floridians already have the will, the capital, and the technology to create a clean energy future.?
  [URL="http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/business/realestate/housekeys/blog/2010/06/www.floridacleanenergy.biz"]Florida Business Network for a Clean Energy Economy[/URL], which is hosting the event, has 15 member groups including renewable energy companies advocating clean energy legislation in Florida.
  But projects like the Energy Farm solar plant will test how feasible large renewable energy plants are in Florida without [URL="http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/fpl-renewable-solar-0228-20100226,0,7346823.story"]new state legislation granting incentives [/URL]from taxpayers or utility customers.
  Stone wrote in an e-mail that the $300 million solar plant will be financed with private equity and loans guaranteed by the Department of Energy and the loans will be repaid through long-term contracts with utilities that buy the power.
  But the contracts are not finalized. Stone said the company is close to striking a deal on selling 42 megawatts and is in talks to sell the rest.
  PowerSouth owns the grid around where the new plant will be built. "We will be selling the power to another utility and 'wheeling' it to their system," Stone said.
  The plant does not require Public Service Commission approval because it's just slightly under the 75-megawatt threshold for Florida's Power Plant Siting Act.
  Florida Power & Light opened[URL="http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/sfl-obama-fpl-102809,0,81543.story"] a 25-megawatt solar plant [/URL]in DeSoto County last year and plans to complete a 75-megawatt solar thermal plant by the end of the year. The plants were built under a provision in a 2008 law to encourage clean energy production by allowing utilities to pass the costs of renewable energy plants to customers without full regulatory review.
  The Clean Energy Congress starts at 10 a.m. Monday and 8:30 a.m. Tuesday and can be viewed [URL="http://www.wfsu.org/flashwebcasts/web5.php"]live online on the Florida Channel.[/URL]

Plans announced for Florida&#039;s largest solar plant ? without new state subsidies 
 
by Julie Patel on June 28, 2010 09:00 AM 
 
(<a href="http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/business/realestate/housekeys/blog/2010/06/plans_announced_for_floridas_l.html?utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ss-housekeys+%28House+Keys+%7C+Sun-Sentinel+Blogs%29" target="_blank" class="link link--external" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">link to article</a>) 
 
A renewable energy start-up will unveil plans for what could be the Sunshine state&#039;s largest solar panel plant at the <a href="http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/business/realestate/housekeys/blog/2010/06/www.cleanenergycongress.org" target="_blank" class="link link--external" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">Clean Energy Congress </a>this week. 
 Energy Farm Inc., based in Santa Rosa Beach, will announce its plan to build a solar panel plant on 550 acres in Walton County that produces 74 megawatts of energy ? enough to power 12,000 homes. Construction on the plant will be kicked off by year-end and the project will be complete sometime next year, according to Energy Farm. 
 Shelton Stone, president of the company, and about 120 &quot;citizen delegates&quot; plan to attend the Congress to discuss renewable energy proposals and make recommendations. 
 ?The Congress was called as a way to turn our grief over the oil spill into action,? Susan Glickman, an organizer of the event, said in a statement. ?We invited Mr. Stone and others to emphasize the fact that Floridians already have the will, the capital, and the technology to create a clean energy future.? 
 <a href="http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/business/realestate/housekeys/blog/2010/06/www.floridacleanenergy.biz" target="_blank" class="link link--external" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">Florida Business Network for a Clean Energy Economy</a>, which is hosting the event, has 15 member groups including renewable energy companies advocating clean energy legislation in Florida. 
 But projects like the Energy Farm solar plant will test how feasible large renewable energy plants are in Florida without <a href="http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/fpl-renewable-solar-0228-20100226,0,7346823.story" target="_blank" class="link link--external" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">new state legislation granting incentives </a>from taxpayers or utility customers. 
 Stone wrote in an e-mail that the $300 million solar plant will be financed with private equity and loans guaranteed by the Department of Energy and the loans will be repaid through long-term contracts with utilities that buy the power. 
 But the contracts are not finalized. Stone said the company is close to striking a deal on selling 42 megawatts and is in talks to sell the rest. 
 PowerSouth owns the grid around where the new plant will be built. &quot;We will be selling the power to another utility and &#039;wheeling&#039; it to their system,&quot; Stone said. 
 The plant does not require Public Service Commission approval because it&#039;s just slightly under the 75-megawatt threshold for Florida&#039;s Power Plant Siting Act. 
 Florida Power &amp; Light opened<a href="http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/sfl-obama-fpl-102809,0,81543.story" target="_blank" class="link link--external" rel="nofollow ugc noopener"> a 25-megawatt solar plant </a>in DeSoto County last year and plans to complete a 75-megawatt solar thermal plant by the end of the year. The plants were built under a provision in a 2008 law to encourage clean energy production by allowing utilities to pass the costs of renewable energy plants to customers without full regulatory review. 
 The Clean Energy Congress starts at 10 a.m. Monday and 8:30 a.m. Tuesday and can be viewed <a href="http://www.wfsu.org/flashwebcasts/web5.php" target="_blank" class="link link--external" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">live online on the Florida Channel.</a>

[quote="NotDeadYet, post: 680333"]The current July issue of National Geographic has an interesting article on the electricity grid. Includes a discussion of the challenges of adding renewable energy to the grid.[/quote]

Thank you - it is very interesting so I am putting the link up

[url=http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2010/07/power-grid/achenbach-text]Electrical Grid - National Geographic Magazine[/url]

<blockquote class="xfBb-quote" data-name="NotDeadYet">The current July issue of National Geographic has an interesting article on the electricity grid. Includes a discussion of the challenges of adding renewable energy to the grid.</blockquote> 
Thank you - it is very interesting so I am putting the link up 
 
<a href="http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2010/07/power-grid/achenbach-text" target="_blank" class="link link--external" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">Electrical Grid - National Geographic Magazine</a>

[URL="http://www.tallahassee.com/article/20100630/BUSINESS/6300311/1003/business/Expert+says+clean+energy+technology+should+be+subsidized"]Expert says clean energy technology should be subsidized | tallahassee.com | Tallahassee Democrat[/URL]

More on solar in FL.  And IMO a $2 per watt rebate would be plenty good now that prices are down.

This is a great thread :D :D

<a href="http://www.tallahassee.com/article/20100630/BUSINESS/6300311/1003/business/Expert+says+clean+energy+technology+should+be+subsidized" target="_blank" class="link link--external" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">Expert says clean energy technology should be subsidized | tallahassee.com | Tallahassee Democrat</a> 
 
More on solar in FL. And IMO a $2 per watt rebate would be plenty good now that prices are down. 
 
This is a great thread 😀 😀

With Freeport being designated as an "economic zone" in Florida, there will definitely be some subsidies in the way of costs of equipment and labor. It (being a designated "economic zone") really is a huge deal and makes Freeport very attractive to industries looking to relocate.

With Freeport being designated as an &quot;economic zone&quot; in Florida, there will definitely be some subsidies in the way of costs of equipment and labor. It (being a designated &quot;economic zone&quot;) really is a huge deal and makes Freeport very attractive to industries looking to relocate.

[url=http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/panhandle-start-up-says-its-planning-large-solar-power-plant/1104807]Panhandle start-up says it's planning large solar power plant - St. Petersburg Times[/url][quote]A Florida Panhandle start-up called Energy Farm Inc. says it plans to build a 74-megawatt, solar photovoltaic power plant on 550 acres in Walton County capable of producing enough electricity to supply power to 12,000 homes. [/quote]

I've seen two versions of this.  Hope this one is correct; the other one said Santa Rosa County, either way, it's good news. IMO.

<a href="http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/panhandle-start-up-says-its-planning-large-solar-power-plant/1104807" target="_blank" class="link link--external" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">Panhandle start-up says it&#039;s planning large solar power plant - St. Petersburg Times</a><blockquote class="xfBb-quote" data-name="">A Florida Panhandle start-up called Energy Farm Inc. says it plans to build a 74-megawatt, solar photovoltaic power plant on 550 acres in Walton County capable of producing enough electricity to supply power to 12,000 homes.</blockquote> 
I&#039;ve seen two versions of this. Hope this one is correct; the other one said Santa Rosa County, either way, it&#039;s good news. IMO.

Energy Farm, Inc. - SoWal Solar Company to Build 74 Megawatt Facility

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Energy Farm, Inc. - SoWal Solar Company to Build 74 Megawatt Facility

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