It is not a floating array. Don't ya want one?

October 3, 2022
By Li Cohen

The Babcock Ranch solar array, (click here) which is run by Florida Power and Light.

Hurricane Ian's impact on southwest Florida (click here) has been nothing short of devastating. But even as millions lost power, had their homes destroyed and were left in total disarray, one small community managed to get through relatively unscathed.

The community is known as Babcock Ranch, situated just 20 minutes away from downtown Fort Myers, an area among those hit hardest by the storm. The community calls itself "the world's first solar-powered town." But what makes life so different for the roughly 4,600 residents? It was built on the basis of sustainability for a future of survival.

"When storms take aim at southwest Florida and evacuation orders are issued, residents of Babcock Ranch are at a distinct advantage," a representative for the community, Lisa Hall, told CBS News. "Storm safety and resiliency has been factored into every element of design and engineering of the town."

Babcock Ranch rests on higher ground than much of the surrounding area – at least 25 feet or more above sea level – which the ranch says is "beyond the reach of coastal storm surge." All of the buildings and structures in the community are developed to withstand winds of up to 145 mph, or what would be a mid-range Category 4 hurricane according to the Saffir-Simpson scale. Even the plants are able to withstand storms – the community relies on native flora that is generally better able to handle Florida's extreme weather and also reduce storm runoff and flooding.

On Thursday, Gov. Ron DeSantis said that there were more than 2 million reported power outages in southwest Florida. Lee and Charlotte counties, "are basically off the grid at this point," he said that morning. But Babcock, located in Charlotte County, was the exception....

...“Powered by the Sun” (click here) is not just Babcock Ranch’s slogan, it’s the foundation upon which the new master-planned community is being built.

Early on, developer Kitson & Partners donated 800 acres at the town’s northern end to Florida Power & Light, which built its Babcock Ranch Solar Energy Center there. Its 650,000 solar panels generate 149 megawatts of solar capacity, enough to power Babcock Ranch and surrounding areas. FPL added a state-of-the-art battery storage facility—the largest one operating in the U.S.—in 2018....