"It always had the challenge of justifying itself of not just being a bedroom community in the middle of nowhere," he added. "You need a commercial center for that."

Pattison of 1,000 Friends of Florida also worries whether the project will be economically sustainable.

Since its initial announcement, Pugliese Co. has unveiled plans to build an "energy farm," which would grow sweet sorghum, jatropha and other potential biofuel feedstocks. The development company has also announced plans for a 6,000-square-foot fueling station, which would have conventional and biofuels, along with a charging station for electric vehicles.

Destiny's developer has vowed that the city will attract scientists, engineers and other "cleantech innovators."

"As in many places, the challenge is whether it ends up as it's planned initially," Pattison said. "People will be interested to see how it actually develops."

Reprinted from Greenwire with permission from Environment & Energy Publishing, LLC. www.eenews.net, 202-628-6500

1 Comments

1. 1. frgough 10:41 PM 4/10/09

   Only a fool would invest in this. When you can make solar cells cost as much as roofing shingles and 25% efficient, then everyone will have them. Until then, it's just a scam.

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