Florida Public Service Commission approval makes Florida a leading provider of customer-driven solar "green tariff" options. Recent study shows meeting C&I demand for renewables would drive investment of up to $1 billion a year and create nearly 60,000 jobs through 2030 from solar energy development across the state.
TALLAHASSEE, March 3, 2020 – Today national business association Advanced Energy Economy (AEE) reacted to the unanimous approval of Florida Power & Light's (FPL's) new customer-driven solar energy program and tariff by the Florida Public Service Commission (Docket 20190061*). This makes FPL's program the largest customer solar "green tariff" option currently offered by a utility in the nation.
FPL's proposed SolarTogether program gives customers (retail, commercial and industrial) the option to subscribe to blocks of solar energy capacity to offset their energy needs with no long-term commitment. The solar power resources will come from 20 dedicated 74.5 megawatt (MW) solar power plants to be developed by FPL in Florida.
“At a time when customer demand for renewable energy is growing, the approval of SolarTogether launches FPL and the state of Florida into a leadership position for customer renewable energy programs—which is good for residential customers, good for businesses, and good for the Sunshine State," said Gloria Li, policy associate for Advanced Energy Economy. "AEE applauds the Florida Public Service Commission for approving the program and FPL for listening to customers when designing and proposing the program. While there are some elements we think could be improved in a second phase, SolarTogether is a huge step forward in a state where large customers formerly had no options to choose renewable energy at scale."
"We hope to see other utilities follow suit to meet the significant renewable energy demand among commercial and industrial customers in Florida—which could reach nearly 7,000 MW over the next 10 years, bringing billions of dollars of investment and up to 50,000* jobs to meet this demand across the state,” said Li.
According to FPL, the utility had pre-registered 200 customers in their proposed program, totaling 1,000 MW. FPL asked for Phase I approval to build and operate the 20 solar power plants, grouped into five projects, totaling 1,490 MW to meet this demand.
*This statement was updated Mar. 4, 2020 to reflect correct jobs figure sourced from the associated report below.
Background Resources:
- “Opportunities for Meeting Commercial and Industrial Demand for Renewable Energy in Florida,” estimates the potential demand for renewable energy from C&I companies over the next 10 years, and quantifies the economic impact of meeting that demand with development of solar power facilities in the state.
- Renewable Energy Offerings that Work for Companies
- Making Corporate Renewable Energy Purchasing Work for All Utility Customers and Essential Elements of Next-Generation Renewable Energy Tariffs policy briefs are here.
- Fact Sheet: Today Florida has 174,000 people working in advanced energy, more than those in real estate, triple those in agricultural jobs.
*AEE offers free, complimentary access to its PowerSuite online platform tracking all federal and state energy legislation and regulatory filings to credentialed media. Sign up for a free trial and contact Monique Hanis (mhanis@aee.net) for permanent access.
About Advanced Energy Economy:
Advanced Energy Economy (AEE) is a national association of businesses that are making the energy we use secure, clean, and affordable. Advanced energy encompasses a broad range of products and services that constitute the best available technologies for meeting energy needs today and tomorrow. AEE’s mission is to transform public policy to enable rapid growth of advanced energy businesses. Engaged at the federal level and in more than a dozen states around the country, including Florida, AEE represents more than 100 companies in the $238 billion U.S. advanced energy industry, which employs 3.5 million U.S. workers. Learn more at www.aee.net, track the latest news @AEEnet.