Okaloosa County has welcomed the first solar trees to HarborWalk Village in Destin during a ceremonial untying of a green ribbon in May. Legendary developer and CEO Peter Bos joined the City of Destin, Okaloosa County, Destin Chamber of Commerce and Gulf Power officials on the HarborWalk Village dock where the two solar trees have been planted under the zip line.
The panels on the two solar trees harvest the sun to produce zero-emissions energy. Located in the high-energy entertainment district of the HarborWalk Adventures area, Peter noted that the solar trees are a great educational addition to the HarborWalk Village dock where local and visiting children can see solar energy being made.
“It seems Gulf Power has been a part of everything I’ve done for so long and is a great partner, a willing partner,” says Peter. “Gulf Power, we are glad to have you leading the path for this and educating our children and the children that are visiting us. We are super glad to have this right in front of the (fishing) fleet, in this setting.”
“This is exciting because this is new technology,” Destin Mayor Gary Jarvis says. “This is a visual example of teamwork, and the commitment your company has made with the city. I look forward to more of these innovative ideas.”
Together, these trees are generating 7.2 kilowatts of clean, renewable energy that is flowing into the power grid for the benefit of all customers. That’s enough energy to power nearly six school classrooms on a daily basis.
With color-changing lights, each tree inspires conversations about clean energy and offers an element of education. They provide an opportunity for the public to see solar energy technology at work and use the trees’ QR codes to access information about the benefits of solar, Gulf Power’s solar trees and canopies, and our large-scale solar energy centers in service and in development across Northwest Florida.
Gulf Power Vice President Mike Spoor presented Peter with the remote controller for the color-changing light feature on each tree which, with the click of remote control, can change the light colors for different events and holiday celebrations. Gulf Power is working to bring more solar trees, parking canopies and solar zones — solar tables with charging stations — to other areas across the region. For more information, visit: www.GulfPower.com/solar.
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