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ORDER NO. PSC-2018-0028-FOF-EI <br />DOCKET NO. 20180001 -El <br />PAGE 6 <br />competitive bidding process for the equipment to be installed and the work to be performed. <br />Further, FPL argues that updated efficient designs and reduced interconnection costs lowered the <br />anticipated costs for the 2017 and 2018 projects. <br />FPL employed two resource plans for the proposed solar generation: a No Solar Plan and <br />2017-2018 Solar Plan. Based on the assumptions made in each plan, FPL calculates that there is <br />an estimated cumulative present value revenue requirement (CPVRR) savings of $38.6 million. <br />FPL asserts that updates to tax law in August 2017 provided a reduction in costs, in the form of <br />reduced property taxes, for three of the four 2018 solar project sites. FPL calculates that the <br />efficient designs, reduced interconnection costs, and reduced property taxes raise the estimated <br />CPVRR savings under the 2017-2018 Solar Plan to $106 million. It is FPL's position that the <br />2017 and 2018 projects are cost effective under the 2016 Agreement if the system CPVRR is <br />lower with the solar projects than without them as is the case. <br />FIPUG argues that the solar projects are not needed to meet the Commission's 15 percent <br />reserve margin or FPL's 20 percent reserve margin. FIPUG contends that FPL's efforts to prove <br />that the SoBRA projects are cost effective are only supported by hearsay evidence. FIPUG adds <br />that FPL customers will lose $127.3 million if fuel prices remain low and no carbon tax is <br />imposed in the future. FIPUG further asserts that the future cost of natural gas and the future <br />cost of carbon resulting from a carbon tax used by FPL in its cost effectiveness analysis is <br />uncorroborated. <br />Anal <br />A. 2017 Project Description <br />FPL is proposing to construct and operate four PV centers with a total nameplate capacity <br />of 298 MWa, (74.5 MWa, each) with an in-service date of December 31, 2017. Construction of <br />the 2017 solar generation projects began on October 21, 2016. The proposed solar generation <br />projects are Fixed -Tilt Systems with an average projected first year net capacity factor of 26.6 <br />percent. There are no upgrades to existing transmission infrastructure required as part of the <br />construction of the 2017 solar generation projects. <br />The four proposed sites for the 2017 solar project construction are Coral Farms, Horizon, <br />Wildflower, and Indian River. The Wildflower site is already included in FPL's rate base; <br />therefore, Wildflower land costs are not included in the analysis. All other parcels are new <br />purchases. Not all of the land in the seven newly purchased sites is being used for the 2017 and <br />2018 solar projects although FPL states that some of this land will be used for future projects. <br />To develop a better understanding of the ratio of land that could be used for future development, <br />a more detailed breakdown of each site was requested from FPL. This breakdown included four <br />categories: total acreage, acreage used by the projects (Site Acreage), non -usable land, and <br />residual land. Residual land consists of property that could possibly be used in future solar <br />developments on the site, and for sites with adequate amounts of residual land, FPL will consider <br />leasing land to parties for farming or cattle grazing activities. The range of acreages of each site <br />is illustrated in Table I below: <br />