Consumer renewable energy generation continues to grow, according to electric utility reports filed with the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC). Over the past year, customer-sited renewable generation installations increased approximately 45 percent, and electric generation capacity from these systems increased 51 percent (see chart). Solar photovoltaic panels are the most popular renewable choice.
The PSC’s interconnection and net metering rule promotes development of customer-sited renewable generation by establishing a billing mechanism that allows customers to offset their usage through self-generating energy. Any excess energy delivered to the grid is applied as a kilowatt-hour credit to the customer’s monthly energy usage. Since the rule adoption in 2008, the number of renewable systems has increased from 577 to 189,952 interconnections.
Florida’s investor-owned utilities (IOUs)–Florida Power & Light Company; Duke Energy Florida, LLC; Tampa Electric Company; and Florida Public Utilities–are required by the rule to offer an expedited interconnection agreement process so that homeowners and businesses can generate their own energy quickly and safely.
Municipal electric utilities and rural electric cooperatives are also required, by statute, to provide a standardized interconnection agreement and net metering program for customer-sited renewable generation systems.
Florida’s utilities reported the following information on customer-sited renewable generation for 2018-2022.
Individual utility reports on customer-sited renewable systems and summary data are available on the PSC’s website. Residents interested in learning more about interconnecting renewable generation systems or net metering should contact their local utility.
For additional information, visit www.floridapsc.com.
