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Neighbors Banding Together With Solar to Control Power Bills

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Florida has taken the lead in both residential and utility solar. All across the state neighbors are banding together to bundle their buying power and use their roofs to save money and reduce their utility bills.
Solar co-ops have helped propel the state into a leading position for rooftop solar, with the state leading the nation with a 110% growth rate in residential rooftop solar permits. The co-ops help by bundling consumer buying power and bringing discounts, as well as easy to understand information about how solar can help homeowners save money.
Solar United Neighbors, a non-profit based in Washington D.C., working with their partner the League of Women Voters of Florida, has launched 34 solar co-ops around the state, with many more planned or in process for 2018. Currently there are active co-ops in Orange County, St. Petersburg, Miami-Dade, Highland, Citrus, Franklin, Bay, and Sarasota counties,as well as the Upper Keys. In the past two years, the co-ops have accounted for 10% of all new residential solar in the state.
The co-ops are installing their 1,000th home this summer, using local solar installers from around the state. In just over two years the co-ops have invested almost $10 million in rooftop solar, added 267 jobs, and helped Florida consumers save millions.
Now growing by $1 million a month for rooftop solar, co-op participants all across Florida are jumping on board. “The best part was that by working with the co-op, it was really easy,” said Charlie Behrens, a co-op participant from Orlando. “The last time I went solar, I had to do all of the legwork myself. This meant vetting the installers, researching different hardware, figuring out endless financial permutations and lots of cold-feet second-guessing. This year when we wanted to add panels via the co-op, we had a good clear decision within a day, and at a lower price than we could ever get as just one rooftop.”
Co-op participants work together and with the support of Solar United Neighbors to learn about solar. They form a bulk purchase group that selects one installer through an open bidding process. Participants select the installer whose proposal best serves the needs of the group. The selected installer then develops personalized proposals for each homeowner. Participants then decide if going solar is right for them. The co-ops are free to join and there is no obligation to proceed or purchase a solar system.
Experts say Florida should be one of the top three states in the country for rooftop solar due to days of sunshine and high electric bills stemming from almost year-round use of air conditioning.
“Rooftop solar is one of the very best investments a homeowner in Florida can make,” said Dr. Jim Fenton, Director of the Florida Solar Energy Center at University of Central Florida. “Depending on some variables such as roof orientation, utility, etc., homeowners can expect almost a 14% return per year.”
To help spread the word, the League has released a Sun$ense video campaign to help educate the Florida public. The videos are free to use in their entirety or for b-roll and sound bites.
“Standing room only at our public meetings around the state from cities to small towns showed us that the time was right to use this fun social media device to expand awareness,” said League president Patricia Brigham.
The results speak for themselves. Angela DeMonbreun, state director of Solar United Neighbors, says the neighborhood co-ops contributed nearly 10% of all new residential rooftop solar in Florida in 2017, and is the largest and fastest growing marketplace for Solar United Neighbors, which introduces solar co-ops in nine states.
Videos can be viewed on the League’s YouTube channel. For local interviews of volunteers or solar owners, contact Deirdre Macnab, Chair, League of Women Voters Campaign for Solar (407) 415-4559.
The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.

17 Florida Mayors Join National Call to Embrace Solar and Support Strong Policies

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17 Florida mayors are among 70 U.S. mayors nationwide calling for solar energy to power their communities. A statement released today by Environment America includes Florida mayors from cities ranging from Naples, Fla. to Pinellas Park, Fla. who agree on the need to tap into clean energy from the sun.
“There is no downside to solar energy,” said Naples, Fla., Mayor Bill Barnett. “It’s a win-win for all involved.”
Solar energy continues to grow by leaps and bounds. Latest figures from the Solar Energy Industries Association show that the U.S. now has enough installed solar capacity to power the equivalent of over 9 million homes. Cities that prioritize solar power have helped to drive this growth. In 2016, just 20 cities accounted for as much solar power capacity as the entire country had installed in 2010.
“Cities are natural leaders when it comes to solar energy,” said Emma Searson with Environment America. “They have high energy demand and lots of rooftop space suitable for solar panels. By pursuing local policies that prioritize solar, cities can maximize their solar potential, reduce pollution and improve public health.”
Environment America’s “Mayors for Solar Energy” statement has 70 signatories and continues to grow. It comes as state and local officials grapple with ways to promote renewable energy and work to address climate change, amid actions by the Trump administration to withdraw from the Paris climate accords and consider massive bailouts for outdated coal and nuclear power plants.
“Regardless of what’s happening around us, Austin will not stop fighting climate change,” said Austin, Texas, Mayor Steve Adler. “Worldwide, cities will lead in achieving climate treaty goals because so much of what’s required happens at the local level.”
Many cities are using solar to meet ambitious renewable energy targets. Traverse City, Mich., will build a solar project to meet its goal to use 100 percent renewable energy by 2020.
“Just last month we signed a contract in conjunction with Heritage Solar in conjunction with Traverse City Light and Power, our municipally owned power company, for a 1.2 megawatt local solar project,” said Traverse City Mayor Jim Carruthers. “We are currently working with other area providers to add to our renewable portfolio to meet our aggressive goal.”
Cities like Santa Monica, Calif., are going beyond municipal solar installations, creating local policies and utility arrangements that support solar energy.
“We support solar by installing it at public facilities, creating incentives for residents and businesses to do likewise, adopting policies like our Reach Code and our most recent action to join a public power agency to procure electricity for our residents and businesses with a much greater proportion of renewables than provided by our local utility,” said Santa Monica Mayor Ted Winterer.
Cities like Philadelphia are receiving recognition for their progress.
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said, “Philadelphia is proud to have been designated a SolSmart Gold City by the US Department of Energy for our efforts to remove barriers to solar energy growth, and we are committed to supporting the growth of additional clean, renewable solar energy as a way to reduce costs and pollution.”
In the wake of devastating hurricanes this year, solar energy offered critical community resilience to some in Florida.
“Following Hurricane Irma,” said South Miami, Fla., Mayor Philip Stoddard, “we plugged our fridge into the inverter on our roof-top solar system. It kept the beer cold and the Klondike Bars frozen until the utility power came back up a week later.”
Mayors of towns large and small signed on to the letter, including Nederland, Colo., population 1,445.
“Solar is the obvious path forward for small towns like Nederland to reduce their emissions and impact on the planet,” said Nederland Mayor Kristopher Larsen.
The letter notes many positive aspects of local solar development that many cities are already achieving with commitments to clean energy.
“The transition to a clean energy future is one of the greatest opportunities of the 21st century for cities to improve community health, quality of life, environmental sustainability, and a vibrant and robust economy,” said Orlando, Fla., Director of Sustainability Chris Castro. “More than 50 percent of the world’s population now lives in cities, we have to be the ones that are leading on the important issues such as climate change, resilience, and urban sustainability.”
What Selected Mayors Have to Say About Solar:
Glenn Hendricks, Mayor, Sunnyvale, Calif.: “Given that we’re a ‘sun’ namesake, Sunnyvale supports solar by definition! Our commitment to renewable energy sources like solar is evident by Silicon Valley Clean Energy, the local community choice energy agency we helped launch in 2017. Sustainability is part of our organization’s DNA and we’re continuing to work with our community to find new ways to meet our aggressive climate action goals.”
Bill Barnett, Mayor, Naples, Fla.: “There is no downside to solar energy, it’s a win, win for all involved.”
Chris Castro, Director of Sustainability, Orlando, Fla.: “The transition to a clean energy future is one of the greatest opportunities of the 21st century for cities to improve community health, quality of life, environmental sustainability, and a vibrant and robust economy. More than 50 percent of the world’s population now lives in cities, so we have to be the ones that are leading on the important issues such as climate change, resiliency, and urban sustainability. That’s why Mayor Buddy Dyer and the City of Orlando leadership has decided to show our support for this effort and will continue pushing forward to our 100% renewable energy goals.”
Steve Adler, Mayor, Austin, Texas: “Austin will not stop fighting climate change. Worldwide, cities will lead in achieving climate treaty goals because so much of what’s required happens at the local level. Regardless of what happens around us, we’re still Austin, Texas, and that means aggressively increasing the amount of power we get from renewable resources to 65% by 2027.”
Jim Carruthers, Mayor, Traverse City, Mich.: “Traverse City has set an aggressive 100% renewable energy goal for itself by the year 2020 and we are well on our way at meet this goal. Just last month we signed a contract with Heritage Solar in conjunction with Traverse City Light and Power, our municipally owned power company, for a 1.2 megawatt local solar project.  We also have an option to purchase 2 additional megawatts in the near future.  We are currently working with other area providers to add to our renewable portfolio to meet our aggressive goal.  As you may already know, Traverse City placed the first municipal owned and operated utility grade wind generator here 20 years ago.  Traverse City is proud to be leaders in the renewable energy market and we are doing everything we can to more efficiently operate our systems through alternative resources.”
Ted Winterer, Mayor, Santa Monica, Calif.: “Santa Monica has ambitious environmental goals, including carbon neutrality by 2050. Solar is an essential tool to reduce our carbon emissions. We support solar by installing it at public facilities, creating incentives for residents and businesses to do likewise, adopting policies like our Reach Code and our most recent action to join a public power agency to procure electricity for our residents and businesses with a much greater proportion of renewables than provided by our local utility.”
Jim Kenney, Mayor, Philadelphia: “Solar energy is a key tool to achieving our clean energy future. Philadelphia is proud to have been designated a SolSmart Gold City by the US Department of Energy for our efforts to remove barriers to solar energy growth, and we are committed to supporting the growth of additional clean, renewable solar energy as a way to reduce costs and pollution.”
Philip Stoddard, Mayor, South Miami, Fla.: “Following Hurricane Irma, we plugged our fridge into the Sunny Boy inverter on our roof-top solar system.  It kept the beer cold and the Klondike Bars frozen until the utility power came back up a week later.”
Kris Larsen, Mayor, Nederland, Colo.: “Solar is the obvious path forward for small towns like Nederland to reduce their emissions and impact on the planet. Not only is pursuing this goal the right thing to do, it’s strengthening our sense of community to do so.”

Tampa Electric Embraces 21st Century Technologies

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Commits to 600 MW of New Solar in Settlement Agreement

Energy Advocates Applaud Efforts to Grow Solar and Work Proactively with Stakeholders

Late Wednesday, Tampa Electric Company filed a rate settlement agreement with the Florida Public Service Commission that’s intended to significantly increase its use of solar power and provide rate certainty to customers.
The agreement will ensure more investment in large-scale solar facilities by providing for the construction of up 600 MW of additional solar facilities over the next 4 years. Tampa Electric’s commitment to solar power, relative to is size, would place it among the leading utilities in the Southeast region on solar power.
“The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE) applauds Tampa Electric’s leadership on expanding solar power in the Sunshine State,” said Dr. Stephen A. Smith, executive director of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy. “We strongly feel that solar power is good for customers by diversifying the energy portfolio and for the environment by providing low-cost, zero-emissions energy for Florida’s families and businesses. We look forward to working with Tampa Electric as they offer more clean energy options and embrace new technologies that will make Tampa a more resilient community.”
“SACE is pleased to see Florida utilities responding to customer demand, market forces and the need for more corporate responsibility to proactivity address climate change with solar technology,” continued Dr. Smith. “SACE supports and advocates for all segments of the solar power market, residential, commercial, and utility scale to be fully functional and competitive in the Sunshine State.”