FPL can’t stunt solar growth any longer

Floridians struck a surprising blow to the utility companies last month, rejecting a farce of an amendment that masqueraded as pro-solar. We’re already seeing the benefits. On Thursday, Elon Musk’s solar energy company SolarCity announced a large Florida expansion. It will grow its presence in the Orlando area and expand throughout the state in the coming months. It will create 300 new jobs for consultants, installers, electricians and surveyors. It could eventually employ thousands of Floridians.

It’s no coincidence that it’s happening now, just weeks after Amendment 1 was struck down. CEO Lyndon Rive told the Orlando Sentinel that SolarCity wouldn’t have made the Florida push if the amendment had passed.

“We are fortunate that the residents of Florida were smart enough to figure out it was a tactic that would take their choice away and limit competition,” Rive said.

Solar still has a long way to go in Florida. But Florida Power & Light and the state’s other energy companies have been exposed — they gambled and lost and now it’ll be much more difficult for them to push anti-solar policy.

Despite ranking third in the nation for rooftop solar potential, Florida is just 16th in the country in solar energy production.

Energy costs have always been relatively cheap in Florida compared to other states, and solar equipment has been pricey, leading to less solar demand.

That’s about to change in a big way. With the cost of solar panels dropping, it’s becoming much more affordable for homeowners to either buy them outright or for companies to install panels at no upfront cost and then lease the equipment to residents.

Solar co-ops are popping up around the state, allowing communities to buy and install solar equipment in bulk rates.

The greatest threat to solar’s future remains the energy companies and state lawmakers. And that’s why Florida’s rejection of Amendment 1 sent such a powerful message.

The last two elections showed us that Floridians understand the nuances of solar energy and they’re tired of the utility companies’ monopoly over the state.

On the August primary ballot, 73 percent of Florida voters approved Amendment 4, which gave property tax relief to consumers and businesses who installed solar panels.

In the general election, only 51 percent of voters supported the anti-solar measure. Amendments in Florida need 60 percent to pass. Many who voted for it thought they were supporting pro-solar policy, which is exactly what the energy companies were banking on. But they thought they could fool even more voters. It was insulting.

The state Legislature still has to implement Amendment 4, which will allow residents and businsesses to install solar panels without paying higher property tax rates from the added home value the panels provide.

In the meantime, utility companies could still lobby state lawmakers or the Public Service Commission for policy that will hurt the solar market.

The energy companies are a powerful lobby in Tallahassee. They will continue to argue that more solar users will mean more of a burden on nonsolar customers, who will pay higher rates to meet demand.

It’s a questionable argument. If solar becomes more prevalent in Florida, it should reduce the need for more power plants and also limit our reliance on oil and gas power generation, which could lower utility rates.

And considering that just one tenth of one percent of Floridians currently power their home with solar, we’re many years away from seeing solar possibly put a dent in the utility companies. Halting solar use only further lines the pockets of FPL, which made $1.6 billion in profit last year and was approved by the Public Service Commission on Tuesday for an $811 million rate increase.

The increase will help pay for new plants and improved infrastructure, even though the AARP and the state Office of Public Counsel argued that the utility rates should actually decrease by $300 million in 2017.

By 2019 your power bill will be 13 percent higher than it is today. For a customer who currently spends an average of $150 a month on their electric bill, that’s an additional $234 per year.

We should hope the day eventually comes when clean energy allows us to open fewer power plants, not build more.

If it wasn’t for the massive and public failure of Amendment 1, Florida’s utility companies could quietly look for ways to stunt the solar industry. Now, we’re on to them.

Solar co-ops are popping up around the state, allowing communities to buy and install solar equipment in bulk rates.