Florida
Background
Florida and solar energy should be a no-brainer – it is the Sunshine State after all. While there hasn’t much activity around solar PV to date, the passage of the Florida Energy Bill in 2006 provided funds from state general revenues for rebates and grants; this program is subject to annual reappropriation.
The state’s overwhelming reliance on natural gas for electricity generation has lead to increasing utility rates. These higher rates, in combination of solar rebates and tax credits is helping to make solar a viable economic alternative. And there are indications that the incentive programs are beginning to stimulate demand.
What is needed?
In a sense, Florida is a blank slate. Before the market can really take off, it needs net-metering & interconnection standards in place as well as a stable rebate program.
As of right now, no net-metering policy exists – utilities can choose to offer net-metering voluntarily. Interconnection standards exist for PV systems up to 10 kW.
Further, there are no public benefits funds established for energy efficiency or renewable energy programs. A more secure funding mechanism will be needed to continue growing the solar market in the near term. The Florida Solar Energy Center has estimated that a $200 million/year program to encourage investment in energy efficiency, solar hot water and PV would save the state’s energy customers $450 million a year – a benefit much greater than the program’s outlay.
Next Steps
We'll work hard to get a strong solar program in Florida over the next year. On July 13, Governor Charlie Crist signed a
series of executive orders making the fight against climate change a
top priority. The executive orders were the culmination of a two-day
summit in Miami where an all-star cast, including Governor
Schwarzenegger, Bobby Kennedy, Theodore Roosevelt IV, and several
international leaders, discussed what actions were needed to
drastically reduce the state's carbon footprint.
And solar may come up a big winner: EO 126 includes provisions for
installing solar on state buildings and EO 127 calls for a Renewable
Portfolio Standard that will put a "strong focus" on solar and wind.
Vote Solar wants to see a solar set-aside – 2% for photovoltaics and 2% for solar thermal – as part of the RPS. With this set aside, we project that Florida would have 5 GW of PV and an equivalent of 6 GW of solar thermal in place by 2025! Without a specific carve-out for distributed generation solar, the RPS will not succeed in accelerating solar adoption.
- To learn about a solar initiative worthy of the Sunshine State, click here. (PDF)
- To learn about the benefits to distributed solar energy in Florida, click here. (PDF)
The rules matter – and Vote Solar is working with other renewable energy groups to ensure that its done right. The Public Service Commission has already begun developing rules for the RPS, as well as net metering and interconnection. So stay tuned, we'll be sending out alerts and updates over the next few months.
Check out notes from the trail-
last modified 2/7/08