Orange County unveils new, massive floating solar array

Officials say it’s the largest floating solar array in the Southeast, and a big step toward the county’s goal to operate with 100% clean energy by 2035.

Orange County Utilities is celebrating what it calls the largest floating solar panel array in the Southeastern United States, which will generate enough energy to power 179 homes annually.

The enormous cluster of more than 2,000 solar panels now floats on a pond at the county’s Southern Regional Water Supply Facility, just north of the Osceola County line.

That facility supplies water to about 80,000 Orange County residents, according to county officials, who expect the new solar array to reduce the facility’s annual energy costs by 25%.

At a ribbon-cutting celebration Thursday afternoon, Orange County Commissioner and Vice Mayor Nicole Wilson said the project proves that multitasking can be a powerful strategy to help Central Florida become more sustainable and resilient.