Customer-owned renewable generation installations increased 57 percent in 2018, according to utility reports filed with the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC).
Renewable system interconnections totaled 37,862, up from 24,157 in 2017. Statewide, electric generation capacity from customer-owned renewable systems increased 54 percent, reaching 317,462 kilowatts (kW). Solar photovoltaic panels continue to be the most popular renewable choice.
Florida’s PSC rules allowing customers to interconnect their systems with the utility’s grid were established in 2008. Since their inception, renewable systems have increased more than 6,400 percent, from 577 to 37,862 interconnections.
“After a decade of use, our interconnection rules have more than proven their effectiveness at ‘priming the pump’ for growing customer-owned rooftop solar,” said PSC Chairman Art Graham. “This, coupled with the many utility-scale solar projects coming online, benefits Florida’s renewable generation for all customers.”
Florida’s investor-owned utilities (IOUs) are required by the rules to offer an expedited interconnection agreement process so that homeowners and businesses interested in generating their own energy can do so quickly and safely.
Municipal electric utility and rural electric cooperative customers also support renewable generation. Every Florida municipal and cooperative that sells electricity at retail is required, by statute, to provide a standardized interconnection agreement and net metering program for customer-owned renewable generation systems.
Individual utility reports on customer-owned renewable systems and summary data are available here and can be found on the PSC’s website.
Residents interested in learning more about interconnecting renewable generation systems should contact their local utility.
For additional information, visit floridapsc.com.
Follow the PSC on Twitter, @floridapsc.
