Let the Sunshine In: Is There a Future for Residential Rooftop Solar Energy in Florida?

Governor DeSantis turned down a law that would have changed the way people with solar panels get paid for their extra energy. The big utility companies wanted this law because they say it’s not fair for non-solar customers. But the governor said no because people are already struggling with high prices, and this law would make it worse. People who like solar energy are happy about this, but they need to keep watching out for future laws that might try to limit solar energy in Florida. Florida is making more energy from solar power. It’s cheaper and more accessible than before. People with solar panels can sell extra energy back to the electric company. But the new law might make it harder for people to do this in the future. H.B. 741 was a proposed law to change how solar energy users get credit for the extra energy they make. It would gradually reduce the credit they get for this extra energy. If the law passed, people who already have solar panels would keep getting the same credits for the next 20 years. But some people didn’t like the law because they thought it would make it less worth it to have solar panels. The bill H.B. 741 aimed to change how solar customers in Florida are charged for their electricity. Some people think that non-solar customers are paying more to support solar customers, but others disagree. The bill would have made new rules to make sure that solar customers pay their fair share. It’s a complicated issue, but it’s important as more people switch to solar power. Florida’s net metering legislation had provisions that could have ended the gradual transition to solar energy if the number of solar customers exceeded 6.5% in a utility’s territory. Utility companies could also seek compensation for lost revenue from solar customers. Critics feared that this legislation would hurt the solar industry, as seen in Nevada. Since the original net metering law in 2008, solar adoption in Florida has grown by more than 10,000%. Now, utility companies are trying to reverse this trend. The rooftop solar industry in Florida faced challenges in the 2022 legislative session, but managed to avoid major setbacks. However, big electric companies may continue to try and limit the use of solar energy. Even if only 1% of homeowners use solar energy, utility companies could still try to stop it. It’s important for everyone to pay attention to future legislative sessions and tell local legislators and the governor that they oppose any bills that would limit solar energy in Florida. Solar energy is good for the environment and for people’s wallets, so it’s important to keep fighting for it. Florida is considering a new law called H.B. 741 that could affect the way people with solar panels on their homes are charged for their electricity. The law could make it more expensive for people with solar panels to use the electricity they generate. Some utility companies, like FPL and Duke Energy, want customers with solar panels to pay extra fees, while others believe that net metering, which allows customers to get credit for the excess electricity they generate, should be supported. Advocates for solar energy believe that net metering helps to increase the use of solar power in Florida. As the debate continues, it’s important for people to understand the potential impact of the new law on their ability to use solar energy at home. Nevada changed a rule about net-metering for solar power, which caused SolarCity to cut a lot of jobs. This is important for environmental and land use law. A lawyer from Guilday Law, P.A. wrote about it.

Source: https://www.floridabar.org/the-florida-bar-journal/let-the-sunshine-in-is-there-a-future-for-residential-rooftop-solar-energy-in-florida/