To build a city, the only solar power uses is a challenge, even in Sunny Florida. And not only for technical reasons. In order to convince the average buyer, you have to make compromises.
Babcock Ranch looks at first glance like many other cozy towns in Florida. Ordinary residential areas, with houses in bright colors with sloping roofs, wooden facades and large Verandas, flat landscape in a Board. Native palm trees adorn the well kept gardens.
But behind the facades of high-tech and sustainability.
The roofs are made of metal, in order to reduce Cooling and Heating costs. They extend to the sides beyond the facade, to give additional shade. In the garages, there are connections for charging electric cars. The lawn makes up only 30 per cent of the garden area. The Rest of the thirsty, native plants cover less. The people use so-called “grey water” from the local sewage treatment plant and rain water, the drains superficial (the streets have no gullies or kerbs), to irrigate the gardens and for the lakes in the village.
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This mixture of Tradition and Modernity is one of the reasons why Richard and Robin Kinley decided to move to this new town, the North-East to the suburbs, shopping centers and Golf courses in the city of Fort Myers is adjacent.
Some of the buildings in Babcock Ranch have their own solar power, but most get their power from a nearby solar farm, in order to keep the initial investment low
“It was all this hidden technology, the huge solar system at the end of the road, or the fact that all the houses have a fibre optic connection with fast Internet,” said Richard Kinley, compared to DW. “That was a really good mix for us: all this technology for me and a traditional house in Florida-style, as you like it, Robin.” The other reason was that they wanted to escape the traffic chaos of Atlanta and for the retirement of a clean environment is desired, adds Robin.
“I like it now just a little more peaceful,” she told DW.
Founding a city, which is only operated with solar power
The Kinleys were among the first residents moved in in January of 2018, according to Babcock Ranch. Since then, the city expanded further and further. Every week new houses and the road will arise around the house, the Kinleys took more and more shape. On the 7200-acre site once 50,000 people are to live, in of 19,500 dwellings.
By the end of this year, 250 houses are to be sold. But to get this far, was difficult, says Syd Kitson, the man behind the project.
Richard and Robin Kinley wanted to in peace, sustainable living, and were amongst the first residents who moved into the new “Solar City”
The former Football Pro is now a real estate developer. In 2005, he came up with the idea to start up a sustainable, fully solar-powered city.
“We wanted to Babcock, the first solar-powered city in the United States, maybe even the world, is a Ranch,” says Kitson.
So he bought only 36.800 acres of Land in the so-called “Sunshine State”, to sell – to the largest Eco-real estate-business – Florida-to 29,500 hectares in the state, which declared the country to be a conservation area.
Nevertheless, everything was then smooth.
“What we have not realized at the time, eight or nine years ago how hard it really would be to convince people that we are doing the Right thing to do,” recalls Kitson.
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In his Vision, he had not been included in that so many people could of the approximately 17,500 Euro quenching, which are necessary to build a solar plant on the roof of a detached house.
The construction in Babcock Ranch. At the end of the real estate developers want to build here 19.500 houses
He needed an idea to start with the construction of its solar city in a state, of the materials is largely dependent on fossil fuels.
Solar-Deal, but with disadvantages?
Kitsons solution was to give away approximately 180 acres of the site to Florida Power & Light (FPL). The local energy company has more than ten million customers.
In return, installed FPL on the site, a total of 340,000 solar modules with a capacity of 75 megawatts – the largest facility of this kind in the history of the company. Until the beginning of next year it should be twice as large. As a result, the city generates more solar power than it consumes. In the long term, the electricity is stored in batteries on site.
Through the Deal, the city uses electricity that the solar power plant of the energy supplier produces. The residents do not have to bear the investment costs for a solar power plant. For this you need to pay, however, continues to be the standard price for electricity.
More renewable energy: Wind and solar energy, nuclear overtaking power
In the longer term, this could be a downside, says Jody Finver, program coordinator at Solar United Neighbors, a non-profit company that helps homeowners, solar energy switch.
“I would like to see within the parish more houses with solar cells on the roof,” says Finver. “The biggest Motivation is that your current shrinking of the invoice, if you have solar panels on the roof. And the power feeding into the grid, brings the homeowners money.”
Babcock Ranch has lakes, nature trails and green, where in the first line of native plants to grow. The schools also have a green curriculum, says the Builder
At least theoretically, Babcock Ranch might be in the future from its own solar Park independent. All the houses are built so that you can install later a solar system on the roof. In the downtown, there are already on any roof of a facility. Tree-shaped panels are also available in Parks and shopping centres.
In a Global perspective, his approach is not brand-new. For Kitson, but it was quite reasonable, with an energy supplier together with the necessary resources in order to American buyers.
Not only for pensioners
Kitson hopes that buyers will come from all age groups. He considers it crucial to create a vibrant city.
“When most people think of Florida they think of pensioners. You say: ‘Wow, this is a great place for the rest.’ But you know what, here is also a lot of young people live,” says Kitson.
In order to achieve the right mix of different age groups, has created the real estate developers swimming pools, nature trails and lakes for fishing and boating. In the gym, there are devices that generate electricity when you train.
For more on Solar energy: investments in solar energy to drag
The local school offers an educational program related to the Environment, science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics.
Residents can use an App to order a driver-less vehicle. The school buses in the city to electric drive.
More about green education: A school in Berlin teaches “Biological diversity”
For people such as Richard Kinley, the already live in Babcock Ranch, is there a way to take on some responsibility for the environment.
“The older I get, the more important is a sustainable lifestyle is to me,” he says. “I call it free like to ‘blame’ as possible. I mean, just the fact that I have an electric car that runs, literally, with solar power…!”
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