If you live in Palm Bay, you may start seeing construction on things that look like art sculptures — but they’re not quite art. They’re actually "solar trees."
- FPL placing over 100 'solar trees' around Florida
- 3 will be installed in Palm Bay
- Solar trees can also be used as charging stations
“Solar panels are typically out of sight, on roof tops or at energy centers," said Stephen Hieman of Florida Power and Light. "But this provides a way for people to get an up-close look at these solar panels and how they work.”
FPL says they’ll be placing more than 100 of these solar trees across the state in the coming year.
They’ll be placing three in Palm Bay in front of City Hall. They hope that the solar trees will help educate the public so they can expand to other areas in the future.
“We plan to move them to all our major parks," said Tom Michaud, facilities manager for the city of Palm Bay. "Once we have them in the parks, people will be able to charge their devices with solar power all while watching their kids play.”
The innovative new solar designs will help power the building. On top of that, they’ll also serve as charging stations for anyone who wants to use them.
"Technology is advancing everything today, and with that, we are finding new ways to incorporate solar power within the community. Like these solar trees, their design is just so unique and can be incorporated into urban landscapes like this one,” Heiman said.
FPL says just one solar tree could power an electric car for about 15,000 miles.
You can expect to see these new solar trees in Palm Bay by this coming August.