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February 14,2018 - Babcock Ranch Becomes First Solar-Powered Town In United States
Green Matters

Babcock Ranch is a new town in Florida that’s going to run 100 percent on solar power. At first glance, it’s not very different from your typical community. For example, it has restaurants, stores, a school, and thousands of households. The solar power, of course, is what makes it so unique. In fact, it’s the first of its kind in the United States. Even cooler? It has the potential to power other cities surrounding it.

Back then, he already had a vision for Babcock Ranch to be self-sustaining city. There would be zero emissions from autonomous vehicles and there would be more energy generated than consumed. All of this would be accomplished by installing over 300,000 solar panels across 440 acres.

“We want to be the most sustainable new town in the United States,” Kitson told CBS News. “We had the advantage of a green field, a blank sheet of paper. When you have a blank sheet of paper like this, you really can do it right from the beginning.”

Babcock Ranch is equivalent to the size of Manhattan in New York City. Transportation throughout the town is mostly through the self-driving buses or utilizing shared bicycles that can be used on around 50 miles of trails. Recycled water through rain gardens, which naturally filters the liquid, will be used in the town’s irrigation system.

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