Environmentalists have been clamoring for lawmakers and public utilities to embrace more solar power in Florida for decades, but the marketplace may be the biggest driver in seeing more solar now happening in the Sunshine State.
Duke Energy announced Tuesday it had filed a settlement agreement with the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC). The good news: Rates won’t be increasing as expected. “This settlement has broad support and was developed collaboratively with the Office of Public Counsel and other consumer advocates, including the Florida Industrial Power Users Group, White Springs Agricultural Chemicals, Inc., d/b/a PCS Phosphate, Florida Retail Federation and Southern Alliance for Clean Energy,” the company said in a press release. “If approved by the…
Legislation that would bring new measures of accountability to Florida’s Public Service Commission passed a House Committee on Tuesday. Pinellas Republican Kathleen Peters’s bill (HB 7071) would create performance-based incentives for utilities by rating their reliability, customer service, power plant performance and costs. It also would bar lawmakers from serving on the commission within six years of leaving the Legislature. The five commissioners, who are appointed by the governor, would represent different regions of the state and be limited to two four-year…
The House of Representatives’ new lobbying registration regime has ensnared Susan Glickman, Florida director for the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy. House Speaker Richard Corcoran now requires lobbyists to disclose every bill, amendment, and individual appropriation they are trying to influence. Go to the House website, and you’ll see Glickman is registered for four House bills. But not for a fifth that she also testified on recently. That would be HB 1043, which would allow Florida Power & Light the ability to pass…
Voters in sun-soaked Florida will have a chance Tuesday to decide whether to approve an amendment to the state constitution that supporters say is aimed at encouraging the use of solar energy. A proposed Amendment 4 calls for tax breaks that could help both commercial and residential property owners install solar or renewable energy systems or devices more affordably. The proposal requires the consent of 60 percent of the voters casting ballots in the Aug. 30 primary. The measure was…
Supporters of expanding the use of solar power in Florida held a roundtable discussion on the University of South Florida-St. Petersburg campus on Tuesday to discuss how the passage of Amendment 4 next week could crack open resistance to alternative energy sources in the Sunshine State. Amendment 4 exempts solar devices and equipment from being subject to the personal tangible property tax. A business that currently has solar panels is currently being taxed on the panels or devices in addition to their…
The League of Women Voters in Florida is going big on solar power this year. They’re putting their political muscle behind supporting one solar constitutional amendment on the ballot next month, while opposing another such measure in November. And somewhat outside their normal lane, they’re also going to organize solar co-ops to negotiate steep discounts on rooftop solar for homeowners across the state. “We are extremely excited to present to you today our plans to make solar the number one issue, and making Florida the number one state…
