Category: FPV
Subtitle: FPV mooring design & Installation
Location: Orlando, FL
Type of Project: Floating Solar
Products Used: Hazelett Elastic Mooring Systems + Helical Anchors
Details of Installation: Designed per ASCE 7-22 (55 m/s wind) and ~28 kN loads.
Challenges Overcome: High wind loading and directional load balancing.
Collaborators: Hazelett + AccuSolar

The Kelson Clubhouse Floating Solar Project is a strong case study of how floating solar can be integrated into upscale residential development without giving up valuable land or compromising the look and function of the site. Public reporting and project sources tie the installation to the Kelson Apartments development in Lake Nona, Orlando, where a floating solar array was planned to power the clubhouse and help the main amenity center achieve net-zero energy use. More recent AccuSolar project updates describe the system as a fully operational 114 kW installation on a managed water body, generating clean power on-site for the residential community. That gives the Kelson Clubhouse Floating Solar Project real practical value. It is not a concept piece or a remote utility installation. It is tied directly to a lived-in community environment where residents expect both performance, aesthetics and reliability.

Kelson is part of Lake Nona, a 17-square-mile master-planned community in Orlando that is widely marketed around innovation, wellness, and sustainability. Public Lake Nona materials describe the area as contiguous to Orlando International Airport and built as a place to live, work, study, stay, and play. Kelson’s own materials position the property in Lake Nona’s Greenwood District and describe 342 residences supported by modern amenities and energy-efficient features. In other words, the Kelson Clubhouse Floating Solar Project had to support more than just electrical generation. It had to fit into a prominent community brand where design quality, resident experience, and environmental credibility all matter.

From an engineering perspective, the Kelson Clubhouse Floating Solar Project presented exactly the kind of mooring problem that separates a standard floating array from a professionally engineered one. The system was designed per ASCE 7-22 for 55 m/s wind and approximately 28 kN loads. In Florida, that level of wind design matters. The 2023 Florida Building Code was updated to reference ASCE 7-22, and Florida remains one of the most demanding wind environments in the country. The state also leads the nation in thunderstorm activity, with Central Florida experiencing some of the world’s highest summer thunderstorm frequency. For a floating solar system in Orlando, high wind loading is not a theoretical issue. It is a real design condition that affects how the array moves, how forces are transferred, and how anchors and mooring lines must be balanced.

That is what makes the Kelson Clubhouse Floating Solar Project especially relevant for Hazelett. The core challenge was not simply holding a floating array in place. It was controlling directional load behavior while preserving stable geometry and clean operation in a residential setting. When wind approaches from changing directions, floating systems can experience uneven force paths, shifting loads, and unwanted movement if the mooring design is too rigid or too simplistic. The Kelson Clubhouse Floating Solar Project required a mooring approach that could absorb and distribute these forces intelligently, maintain alignment, and support long-term reliability without overbuilding the anchoring system. Hazelett Elastic Mooring Systems, combined with helical anchors, were well suited to that assignment because they address peak loading and motion control together rather than treating them as separate problems.

The broader value of the Kelson Clubhouse Floating Solar Project is that it shows floating solar working at the community scale. AccuSolar’s public project description notes that the array includes an integrated walkway supporting the combiner box and electrical components, reinforcing that access, safety, and electrical routing were built into the layout from the start. That detail matters for a clubhouse application, where the system must be serviceable, safe, and visually organized. It also reinforces the main story for the project page: the Kelson Clubhouse Floating Solar Project demonstrates how well-engineered mooring and anchoring can help floating solar perform in wind-sensitive Florida conditions while supporting a highly visible residential amenity with clean, on-site power.

• Publicly identified as the Kelson Apartments floating solar installation in Orlando, Florida
• Public AccuSolar update lists the system at 114 kW and fully operational
• Built on a managed water body to generate clean power on-site
• Planned to power the clubhouse and help the main amenity center achieve net-zero energy use
• Designed per ASCE 7-22 for 55 m/s wind and approximately 28 kN loads
• Products used: Hazelett Elastic Mooring Systems + Helical Anchors
• Collaborators identified by client: Hazelett + AccuSolar

• Kelson is part of Lake Nona, a 17-square-mile master-planned community in Orlando
• Public Kelson materials describe the property as 342 residences
• Public reporting states the floating solar array supports the clubhouse and main amenity center
• Kelson includes EV-ready parking and other sustainability-focused features
• Florida’s 2023 building code references ASCE 7-22 for wind design
• Florida Climate Center recognises that no other part of the nation has more thunderstorm activity than Florida

The Kelson Clubhouse Floating Solar Project demonstrates how floating solar can serve a high-visibility residential development when the mooring design is engineered for the real environmental forces at the site. In this case, the challenge was not only generating renewable power for the clubhouse. It was doing so under demanding Florida wind conditions while balancing directional loads and maintaining a controlled, reliable floating platform. For Hazelett, the Kelson Clubhouse Floating Solar Project is a strong proof point that elastic mooring and helical anchor strategies can help floating solar fit premium residential developments where performance, resilience, and presentation all matter.