Renewable energy creation will be supported to complement the center’s existing energy portfolio.  KSC is a prime location for the utilization of solar photovoltaic (PV) energy creation due to Florida’s abundance of year-round sunlight.  All future NASA facilities will be required to meet net-zero requirements, in that all energy needs must be derived from renewable sources.  PV expansion provides the greatest opportunity to grow KSC’s on-site renewable energy portfolio and contribute to facility net-zero requirements. 

Since 2008, KSC has more than doubled its solar photovoltaic energy creation from 1Mw to 2.5Mw, representing almost 3 percent of KSC’s utility requirements.  With its location on the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (MINWR), identifying areas for future growth without impacting protected wildlife is a challenge.  To meet this challenge, KSC is actively looking at repurposing parking lots and previously developed sites to find creative solutions to support future growth of solar capabilities that meet facility sustainability requirements while minimizing impacts on valued wildlife. 

In addition, KSC should continue to strengthen its partnership with Florida Power and Light (FPL) by considering further expansion of their solar energy production portfolio by using previously disturbed land outside of the NASA secured perimeter as identified in the future land use plan.   

Recent technological advances in wind technology such as bladeless wind turbines could also prove to be well suited for KSC’s location in a wildlife refuge and have been demonstrated across NASA to be beneficial when incorporated into facility design.