What's next for WattNext? Solar car-charging stations with shade

[Roland99]

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-cfb-cover-wattnext-20111030,0,7191806.story

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Over the next couple of months, WattNext — which has already put in ChargePoint stations for electric cars across Eustis, DeBary, Mount Dora, Winter Garden, Leesburg, Clermont, and DeLand — will be branching out along the Interstate 4 corridor to Sanford, Winter Park and Orlando.

Ferree also wants to develop shaded structures called "WattTrees" that provide shade while generating electricity from solar panels attached to the roof. A prototype called a RubeStation already exists in Eustis.

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Lake County commissioners in February unanimously approved Lake Mary-based Blue Chip Energy's plan to build a 40-megawatt plant in a 200-acre cow pasture. It could soon become Florida's largest solar-energy farm, producing enough power for 8,000 homes.

The project would eclipse Florida Power & Light's 25-megawatt Next Generation Solar Energy Center in DeSoto County. Construction began in April on a 6-megawatt solar array at the Orlando Utilities Commission's Curtis Stanton Energy Center, east of Orlando