A Florida convention center doubles its solar with no added panels

One of the largest convention centers in North America just got a major solar upgrade without needing any extra roof space.

SolarEdge Technologies has completed a 2.2-megawatt (MW) rooftop solar system at the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) in Orlando, Florida. The new system more than doubles the facility’s solar generation while using the same footprint as the previous installation.

The project uses SolarEdge inverters paired with power optimizers and Hanwha Q CELLS modules. The array spans multiple roof zones and includes a custom combiner box designed to efficiently transmit electricity across a 700– to 800-foot rooftop span. It also includes real-time monitoring through SolarEdge’s platform to track performance and simplify maintenance.

A solar upgrade on a massive scale

The OCCC is a big energy user. It hosts around 2.4 million visitors each year and generates nearly $5 billion in economic impact for Central Florida.

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That makes it a prime candidate for onsite solar, and a tricky one to upgrade. The installation had to be completed while the venue stayed fully operational, with a packed events calendar. Roofing work by Advanced Roofing was coordinated alongside the solar rebuild.

The new solar system also dovetails with the Florida convention center’s LEED Gold-certified renovation of its South Building and feeds into its broader sustainability strategy.

Old panels get a second life

The upgrade didn’t just boost capacity – it also avoided a lot of waste.

When the convention center removed its original solar array and aging rooftop, it chose not to landfill the old panels. Instead, it partnered with Orlando nonprofit IDEAS For Us to launch what it called the “Great Solar Giveaway.”

In February last year, the program redistributed 5,800 decommissioned but still-functional solar panels to more than 120 Florida residents, businesses, and nonprofits.

That kept thousands of pounds of e-waste out of landfills while expanding access to solar across the state.

Why it matters

Big venues like convention centers, which use a lot of power, are often overlooked in the clean energy conversation, but they have a lot of roof space.

Projects like this show how existing infrastructure can be upgraded for more output without expanding the physical footprint. That’s especially important in dense or built-out areas where space is limited.

It also highlights a growing trend: replacing older solar systems with newer, higher-efficiency tech to squeeze more energy from the same space.

With expansion plans on the horizon, the OCCC is positioning itself as a test case for how large public venues can integrate clean energy at scale while staying fully operational.

Electrek’s Take

Many early commercial solar projects are now reaching an age when it makes financial sense to replace them with higher-efficiency systems. If you can double the output without increasing the footprint, the economics become very compelling, especially for big, energy-hungry buildings with large roofs like convention centers.

The other standout here is the reuse angle. Too many solar upgrades still send perfectly usable panels to landfills. Programs like IDEAS For Us’s show there’s a viable second-life pathway, and that matters as the industry continues to scale rapidly.

Expect to see more projects like this over the next few years, especially in places where space is limited, but power demand keeps climbing.

Read more: IEA: Solar overtakes all energy sources in a major global first

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