Phase Two of the City of Tallahassee’s solar farm project at the airport will soon be cranking out the kilowatts. Some city commissioners even took part in the final panel installation.

Tuesday, Nov. 12 was a day when a strong, chilly breeze seemed to make wind energy more appropriate. Still, City Electric Manager Rob McGarrah was standing on a windswept hill near the s western edge of Tallahassee International Airport overlooking more than 300 acres of newly installed solar panels. He said these are much more efficient than the panels in the Phase One solar farm south of there.

“The first solar farm for 20 megawatts has almost a quarter of a million panels. And there’s about 140,000 here. Between there and now, the amount of power each panel can produce has improved,” he told the small group of city officials gathered to see the project up-close.

That last panel was installed by Commissioners Matlow, Bryant, Williams-Cox and Mayor John Dailey as part of the city’s energy future.

“You’re seeing a part of it, that’s for sure. Only the future will tell all of the components, but we sure are proud of our electric generation, particularly the solar farms,” Dailey remarked after the inspection.

The farm’s Phase Two should be fully tested and on the grid sometime after the first of the year.