Florida Legislation Will Gut the Rooftop Solar Market, Energy Freedom in the State

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. and WASHINGTON D.C. — Legislation filed yesterday in the Florida Legislature aims to end net metering for rooftop solar customers, effectively shutting down this key sector of the state economy and undermining energy freedom for tens of thousands of Floridians.

National and state solar advocates are calling on lawmakers to reject this legislation and allow the state’s rooftop solar market to continue growing:

Following is a statement from Will Giese, southeast regional director for the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA):

“This is a tired tactic that utilities have used to maintain their monopoly grip on electricity markets. Net metering is a popular program that gives people the right to choose the energy that works for them, provides benefits to all ratepayers and creates thousands of energy jobs across Florida. The bill is another of a long line of cynical efforts carried out in the state of Florida at the behest of monopoly utilities to the detriment of Florida residents.

“Stripping Floridians of their right to choose solar is simply bad policy. The bill does not consider the many benefits that solar provides to all ratepayers and it will weaken one of the fastest-growing sectors in Florida’s economy. Florida has the second-largest solar workforce in the country and ranks third among states for installed solar capacity. The state is poised to maintain its solar leadership in the years ahead, but this bill would stamp out that economic growth just as it is ramping up.”

Following is a statement from Justin Vandenbroeck, president of the Florida Solar Energy Industries Association (FlaSEIA):

“While we are still analyzing the full impact of the legislation filed yesterday, initial modeling suggests this plan has the potential to set the rooftop solar industry back nearly a decade, erasing thousands of jobs, ending consumer choice and eliminating savings, along with the resiliency benefits that rooftop solar offers to Floridians.

“Solar is Florida’s only natural renewable energy source. Rooftop solar creates more jobs per megawatt than any other form of energy, supports over 8,900 direct jobs and another 31,000 indirect and induced jobs which contributes over $3.2 billion in household income to workers across the Sunshine state. The proposed changes to net metering stand to halt over $18 billion in economic impact generated by the rooftop solar industry. We look forward to working with state policymakers to protect local jobs, consumer choice and the economic development produced through the vibrant solar market in the Sunshine State.”

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