Solar Rooftops Key to Florida Green Energy Goal - 7/14/07

Despite its nickname, the Sunshine State, Florida's heavy rains and expensive real estate mean it has never been considered a good place to set up big solar energy plants.

So a new initiative by the fourth most-populous U.S. state to get its utilities to generate 20% of their power from sun, wind and other renewable resources will mean wiring rooftops rather than building huge solar or wind farms.

"The cloud cover in Florida limits the amount of power that can be produced," said Mayco Villafana, a spokesman for Florida Power & Light, the state's largest electricity company.

But Florida has plenty of sunshine to power rooftop solar panels and renewable energy advocates are urging the state to help residents create thousands of mini power plants in their homes.

Governor Crist's initiative calls on the state to permit people who generate power at their homes and businesses to lower utility bills by feeding excess electricity back into the grid.

Photovoltaic systems that collect the sun's rays and turn them into energy can cost $30,000 or more for an average U.S. home, so solar advocates are pushing Florida to expand incentives to help residents with initial costs.

James Fenton, director of the Florida Solar Energy Center, said a monthly charge of $1.50 on a utility bill could raise more than $200 million a year to invest in a panel installation program.

"The utilities have to find a way to own the PV power plant on my roof so they can profit from it," Fenton said.

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