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Florida, the Sunshine State, has wide-open skies and loads of gentle — all over the place. Unsurprisingly, Florida companies and folks proceed to vote with their {dollars} in help of solar energy. Florida has put in the second most solar energy capability within the nation in 2024, solely trailing Texas.
In line with new analysis, about 30,000 Floridians put in solar energy this yr, elevating the full to greater than 253,000 within the state. The Sunshine State as an entire put in 3.1 gigawatts (GW) of solar-generation capability within the first three quarters of this yr, nearly matching final yr’s record-breaking 3.2 GW. This info is predicated on the newest report from the Photo voltaic Vitality Industries Affiliation (SEIA) and Wooden Mackenzie, U.S. Photo voltaic Market Perception This autumn 2024. All of this development is boosted by the truth that photo voltaic panel costs have dropped considerably — over 37% — within the final decade.
Stephen Smith, govt director of the Southern Alliance for Clear Vitality (SACE), emphasised two years in the past to Florida Phoenix that the price of solar energy in Florida has decreased by 43% over the past ten years. Smith additionally recommended NextEra Vitality’s Florida Energy & Gentle, the most important regulated utility within the state with over 12 million prospects. FPL’s photo voltaic power enlargement is a part of its “Actual Zero” aim of eliminating carbon emissions from its energy plant fleet — a plan that Smith calls certainly one of “essentially the most bold photo voltaic targets within the nation.”
In line with Florida Phoenix, NextEra’s decarbonization plan “utterly adjustments the paradigm” of local weather safety measures. Quick ahead to right this moment’s information and that helps to elucidate Florida’s progress. “The Actual Zero decarbonization plan, unveiled in June, pledges to chop NextEra’s personal carbon emissions within the areas it serves by 70 p.c by 2025, in contrast with its 2005 baseline; 82 p.c by 2030; 87 p.c by 2035; 94 p.c by 2040; and one hundred pc by 2045. NextEra says it could accomplish that, largely, by considerably increasing solar-power era to 90,000 megawatts, including 50,000 megawatts of battery storage, sustaining its nuclear energy era, and changing 16,000 megawatts of pure fuel models to run on inexperienced hydrogen.”
This week’s Florida Phoenix conveys the logic of Environmental Protection Fund Florida Director Daybreak Shirreffs. “The price of producing electrical energy from new photo voltaic is round $60/MWh in comparison with $70MWh for brand new pure fuel. In consequence, we see NextEra/FPL is now very targeted on photo voltaic and storage to diversify their portfolio and decrease prices in Florida, however different utilities proceed to suggest new pure fuel vegetation.” It doesn’t make sense, and wouldn’t proceed apart from politricks. The Florida Phoenix continues that the state depends on pure fuel for 75% of its power wants (a bigger proportion than in every other state).
It’s good to know that the brand new era of 25,000 prospects who made photo voltaic set up investments final yr will now expertise secure energy payments. Saving cash and being environmentally pleasant is simply widespread financial sense, very like with EVs.
The Florida Phoenix continues, “Florida receives 8% of its present electrical energy portfolio from photo voltaic, in line with the SEIA. That determine is predicted to extend over the subsequent decade, with the full proportion of renewable power in Florida anticipated to achieve 28% by 2032, primarily from the addition of latest photo voltaic era, in line with a report revealed earlier this yr by the Florida Public Service Fee.”
With 34,925 megawatts (MW) of manufacturing capability and roughly 5.9 million buyer accounts, or over 12 million folks, unfold throughout almost half of the state, FPL is the most important vertically built-in regulated utility in Florida.
The Florida Phoenix stays optimistic and relates that Susan Glickman, vice chairman for coverage and partnerships with The CLEO Institute, a local weather nonprofit, affirms: “The expansion of photo voltaic in Florida and throughout the nation isn’t any shock. Fossil gasoline costs are climbing whereas the price of photo voltaic has declined 43% within the final 10 years. Plus, utilizing solar energy reduces the local weather air pollution warming inflicting costly unnatural disasters and excessive climate.”
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