Solar Power in Florida: A Sunny Future
SolarCity, the nation’s largest provider of solar energy equipment, is planning to expand its Florida operations. Until now, installing the necessary equipment to solar power one’s home has been an expensive proposition. The expense has been the greatest impediment for multitudes of people (including the environmentally conscious) who otherwise believe that solar power is a far cleaner form of energy, compared to fossil fuels. But like in many other areas, as time passes, innovations in the technology are now making solar energy a less expensive, more practical alternative for millions of homeowners, particularly for those folks who live in sunny states.
According to Ray Johnson, founder of Florida Solar One, “The industry is evolving almost as rapidly as cell phones.” Johnson adds a stunning statistic: “Solar panels are priced at an all-time low, and are now 500 percent cheaper than they were eight years ago.” As a result, Johnson informs us that business has never been better, as his company is being inundated with inquiries.
Improvement in storage technology and the electronics that regulate electricity are cutting the costs of installing solar power in the home. Additionally, the federal government’s extension through 2019 of a 30% tax credit to homeowners who choose this option is an added incentive.
On election day, Florida voters refused to endorse Amendment 1 to the Florida constitution. The amendment affirmed the right of Florida homeowners to own or lease solar energy equipment, while also enacting constitutional protection for any state resident who does not use solar power to be able to abstain from subsidizing its production. For an amendment to be adopted, a super majority of sixty percent of voters is needed. The measure failed by about 10%.
The utility companies, in supporting the amendment, argued that it is unfair to Florida residents who choose not to use solar energy, in that a portion of their taxes would, in effect, subsidize those who choose to use it in the form of subsidies to the solar companies, and tax credits for solar energy users.
Opponents argued that the amendment was put on the ballot by utility companies to protect their control over the energy market, and protect their profits. They add that the amendment’s professed purpose (to protect non-solar consumers), is a mere pretext.
Be that as it may, the solar industry predicts that solar capacity in Florida will increase by twenty-fold in the next five years. Florida, while certainly one of the nation’s sunniest states and the third most populous, ranked only number thirteen in total installed solar capacity in 2015. And in residential solar capacity per household, the state ranked number twenty-six.
SolarCity, chaired by Tesla Motors founder, Elon Musk, has plans to expand its Florida operations. Musk stated that the company’s expansion plans are directly related to the vote on the amendment. The Orlando Sentinel reported that SolarCity plans an aggressive campaign which includes loans to homeowners who want to install solar energy.
Florida voters, on election day, chose to keep their options open, even though there were reasonable arguments on both sides of the issue.