3 challenge over FPL solar rebate
Customers say they weren’t able to reserve funds for installing solar panels, and money is now gone.
Three Florida Power & Light Co. customers have filed a formal complaint with the Florida Public Service Commission over what the solar industry calls FPL’s botched solar rebate online reservation system back in January.
Richard Silvestri of Fort Pierce, Jerry Buechler of Port St. Lucie and Erika Alvarez, formerly of Vero Beach, filed the complaint this week alleging that FPL “acted in bad faith by not abiding by the goals delineated in Statute 366.81.”
The three were seeking rebates to offset the cost of installation on photovoltaic solar systems for their residences.
FPL took reservations for $8 million in solar photovoltaic rebates in January. An FPL spokeswoman said the problems were “system glitches.”
The petition states that FPL had announced reservations would be taken beginning at 8:30 a.m. Jan. 14, but the start time began earlier.
Funds were depleted before the three entered their information.
“A lot of people complained, and they held it again the next week,” said Silvestri, who is retired from Miami Fire-Rescue.
Silvestri was hoping to obtain an $18,000 rebate to offset the cost of a $30,000 solar system. He has not installed one yet.
FPL repeated the process a week later beginning at 8:30 a.m. Jan. 21, and its website locked up after opening for a few minutes, the petition states.
Silvestri, Buechler and Alvarez were still unable to make a rebate reservation.
“We strive to treat all customers fairly,” FPL spokeswoman Sarah Gatewood said. “That’s why we offered an additional round of (photovoltaic) rebate funding this year — we wanted to ensure that interested customers had a fair opportunity to apply.
“Our investigation into the website found no evidence of any violations of program standards nor any impact to the fairness of the system’s allocation of rebate reservations. The reservation system followed its standard procedure and accepted completed applications on a first-come, first-served basis until all funds had been reserved. As with all previous launches of PV rebates, the allotted funds were reserved quickly by customers,” Gatewood said.
Several hundred customers reserved rebates, Gatewood said. This is the final year of the solar rebate programs, and there is no remaining funding for the rebates. Customers can still apply for solar water heating rebates until Sept. 30.