A ballot measure in florida could pave the way for utilities to raise fees on solar customers.
Florida solar panel referendum.
Voters in florida rejected amendment 1 yesterday a referendum that on its face seemed designed to expand solar power use but in reality sanctioned florida s utility companies to levy fees on.
Any customer of peace river electric coop who puts up solar panels has to sign a solar interconnection agreement which now includes a penalty of 5 00 per kilowatt usually 11 or 14 cents per kw for every kilowatt of power that is used during and after 15 minutes of higher than.
The solar power industry is opposed to amendment 1 a proposal to amend the state constitution that will appear on the ballot as florida solar energy subsidies and personal solar use initiative.
The florida right to produce and sell solar energy initiative was not on the ballot in florida as an initiated constitutional amendment on november 6 2018 the measure did not make the ballot in florida on november 8 2016.
The measure would have provided businesses and individuals with a constitutional right to produce up to two megawatts of solar power and sell that power directly to others.
If the florida supreme court approves the ballot language florida voters could decide in november 2020 whether to be able.
Meanwhile as the cost of solar installation falls duke energy florida is seeing more than 100 residential and business customers a month install solar panels said suzanne barr grant duke.
Solar energy is the state s most abundant energy resource and estimates have placed the state s potential at 2 902 gw which would produce about 5 274 479 gwh an amount much larger than the state and countries s total electricity consumption of 231 210 gwh and 4 125 060 gwh in 2010.
Solar farms such as this 648 panel one in maryland have been cropping up in other states but until recently florida has been slow to get on the bandwagon despite its state nickname of the.
The state may have another solar energy fight on the ballot in two years.
In central florida starting november 1st 2016.