The Florida Public Service Commission on Thursday approved a plan that would lead to Gulf Power Co. buying electricity from major new solar facilities at Northwest Florida military bases.

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What's next?

Gulf Power also submitted a request in February to the FPSC to approve an agreement that would make the utility a leading purchaser of wind generation among Florida utilities. If approved, this would bring the company to a total of five renewable energy sources.

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The solar facilities would total 120 megawatts and would be built at Eglin Air Force Base, Holley Field and Saufley Field. The facilities would be built and operated by subsidiaries of Charlottesville, Va.-based HelioSage, LLC.

The Pensacola-based utility would purchase the output of the facilities, passing along the costs to customers. "

We support this important partnership between Gulf Power and the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Navy that will play a major role in Florida's energy future," Public Service Commission Chairman Art Graham said in a prepared statement Thursday.

"The solar facilities will diversify the utility's power supply and increase Florida's emissions-free electricity generation."

Stan Connally, Gulf Power president and CEO, said the project will broaden the utility's energy source mix.

Connally said in a news release that the facilities could produce enough energy to power approximately 18,000 homes for one year.

He also noted that the solar farms will not replace Gulf Power’s generation plants, but will diversify the power supply and provide a cost-effective alternative during peak energy usage.

Construction is scheduled to begin in February 2016 and the facilities are expected to be in service no later than December 2016.

The company’s first renewable energy project was the 3.2-megawatt Perdido Landfill Gas-to-Energy facility, which has produced more than 100 million kilowatt hours of electricity since starting commercial operation in 2010.

 News Service of Florida contributed to this report.