FPL SolarNow Brings Clean Energy to the Oldest City in the U.S.

As the oldest city in the United States, St. Augustine is known for its Spanish Colonial architecture and its beautiful beaches. Now, the site of Florida’s oldest ice plant is about to take a step towards a more sustainable future. Through FPL’s SolarNow™ program, the St. Augustine Distillery is now home to a state-of-the-art solar canopy.

The St. Augustine Distillery is a locally-founded, community-owned and award-winning distillery producing various craft spirits, including small batch vodka, rum, gin and whiskey. The company offer tours of its historic manufacturing plant and now visitors can catch some shade underneath the SolarNow solar canopy while pairing something old with something new.

Related: Three Ways FPL’s SolarNow is Changing Florida

The St. Augustine Distillery

The Distillery, formerly called the Florida Ice Plant, has historical significance as Florida’s first facility to generate block ice on a commercial scale beginning in 1905. In 1926, the then-nascent Florida Power & Light Company purchased and expanded the facility, leading to its pinnacle of production in the 1930s and 1940s. However, as households began to gain access to personal refrigerators and freezers, production at the facility stopped.

After decades of disuse, the plant was taken over by a projector manufacturer, but abandoned after a few years. From there, a group of local entrepreneurs and historians secured a lease of the property in 2011 and worked with the backing of the city and FPL to restore the building’s historical charm so it could be appreciated by the public.

We are proud to plant the SolarNow flag in the historic city of St. Augustine for the first time, and to add to the Distillery’s enticing attractions for visitors from across Florida. Our ties to the Distillery are decades old, and this partnership will bring them into the future while giving more customers the opportunity to experience clean energy up close.

50 Sites and Counting

In addition to the St. Augustine Distillery, the SolarNow program now has more than 50 locations across the state and is launching dozens more in 2019. With locations in North and South Florida and on the east and west coasts of the state, there is bound to be a solar array already shining bright near you or coming very soon.

The latest exciting examples include arrays at Kennedy Space Center and Palm Beach International Airport. Find the one nearest to you by visiting our locations page.

Related: FPL SolarNow Takes Over the 305

These solar trees and canopies generate clean energy for the grid and give communities a personal look at how this technology can be harnessed even on a small scale to make a big difference. It’s all part of creating a sustainable future for Florida.