Anthony Grande moved out of Fort Myers three years ago, largely due to hurricane risk. He has lived in southwest Florida for almost 19 years, survived Hurricane Charlie in 2004 and Hurricane Irma in 2017, and has seen the impact of larger storms along the coast.
Grande told CNN he would like to find a new home where developers are prioritizing climate resilience in a state increasingly vulnerable to record storm surges, catastrophic winds and historic rainfall.
What he found was Babcock Ranch – just 12 miles northeast of Fort Myers, but seemingly light years away.
Babcock Ranch bills itself as “America’s first sunny town.” Nearby solar panels of 700,000 individual panels produce more electricity than a community of 2,000 households consumes, and in this state most of that electricity is generated by burning natural gas, the earth-warming fossil fuel energy source.
The streets of this well-planned neighborhood are protected from floods, so the houses do not flood. The natural landscape along the road helps control stormwater runoff. Power and internet lines are buried to avoid wind damage. All built to strict Florida building codes.
Some residents, like Grande, have installed more solar panels on their rooftops and added battery systems as an extra layer of protection against power outages. Many drive electric vehicles to harness the Sunshine State’s solar power.
So when Hurricane Ian hit southwest Florida this week, it was a real test for the local population. The storm engulfed nearby Fort Myers and Naples with record winds of over 100 mph. This left more than 2.6 million customers without power in the state, including 90 percent in Charlotte County.
The storm uprooted trees and tore roof tiles, but Grande said there was no other major damage. Its residents say Babcock Ranch is proof that an environmentally conscious, solar-powered city can withstand the wrath of a near-Category 5 storm.
“We have evidence of this case now because [the hurricane] is directly above us,” Nancy Chorpenning, a 68-year-old Babcock Ranch resident, told CNN. west Florida is so lucky.”
Grande said Hurricane Yan moved “like a freight train” through southwest Florida. But he is not afraid that he will lose everything during a storm, as he did when he lived in Fort Myers.
“We’re very, very lucky that we didn’t go through what they’re going through right now on Sanibel Island and in Fort Myers Beach,” Grande said. “In the age of climate change we now live in, the beach is not the place to live or do business.”
Sid Kitson, former professional football player for the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys, is the inspiration behind Babcock Ranch. Kitson presents it as an environmentally conscious and innovative community that is both safe and resilient to storms like Yan’s.
In 2018 the first residents moved into the city. The array has since doubled in size and thousands of people have made Babcock their home.
“It’s a good example of what can be done right if it’s built in the right place and done right,” said Lisa Hall, a spokeswoman for Kitson, who also lives at Babcock Ranch.
“There were so many people in all of this saying, ‘It worked, it’s a vision, that’s why we moved here,’” Hall told CNN.
Perhaps the city’s highest recognition is that it is now a safe haven for some of Yang’s worst-hit victims. The state has opened Babcock Neighborhood School as an official orphanage, although it does not have a mandatory generator. Solar panels are always on.
Some of Joe Penning’s friends who live on Sanibel Island – Ian’s devastating storm surge has cut off the seawall and are now cut off from the mainland – have taken refuge in a friend’s house on Babcock Ranch. She said that it would be some time before they returned.
power inverter for solar panels,photovoltaic panels price,solaria panels
https://www.alltoplighting.com/alltop-2022-complete-ongrid-1000w-3000w-5000w-7000w-solar-system-invertor-system-240v-1kw-3kw-5kw-7kw-solar-energy-systems-product/
Post time: Oct-27-2022