From CBS
Families are starting to move into what is being called America’s first solar-powered town. Babcock Ranch, about half an hour northeast of Fort Myers, Florida, is supposed to produce more energy than it consumes once it’s finished.
There are more than 300,000 solar panels spread across 440 acres there, producing enough electricity not only for the town, but also the surrounding areas, reports CBS News’ Manuel Bojorquez.
In developer Syd Kitson’s city of the future, people leave their car in the garage and take rides in self-driving shuttle buses.
“I think it’s a lot sooner than I think people actually understand. It’s much sooner,” Kitson said.
A zero-emissions autonomous vehicle, hailed with an app, is powered by electricity generated from the sun, just like the street lamps, the buildings and the lights used for this interview.
Kitson wouldn’t want it any other way. Babcock Ranch has been his passion project since 2005.
“We want to be the most sustainable new town in the United States,” Kitson said. “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.”
