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Florida’s investor owned utilities want lawmakers to restructure what they are required to pay roof top solar homeowners who sell excess power back to the companies. Currently the utilities are required to pay retail for the power. They are asking lawmakers to make the payments equal to what it costs the utilities to generate a kilowatt hour, claiming customers with rooftop solar are being subsidized by those without solar. But George Cavros of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy told lawmakers that despite asking for hundreds of millions in higher rates, solar was never mentioned.

“The state’s big three monopoly utilities last yea requested rate increases from the Public Service Commission.  Not one utility, not one utility identified last revenue Fromm roof top solar customers as a reason for the rate request. Not one.”

Sponsor Lawrence McCure of Lakeland calls the current payments unfair, but says he is working on a compromise that will satisfy solar installers.

“This is in real time a mandate to take it in whether they need it or not.” McClure said afterward.  “So, we take that all into consideration. I pledged to committee members, my colleagues, and everyone in the industry, we’re going to work on it.”

Solar installation companies said the legislation would cost the state thousands of jobs and gut the roof top solar industry. The investor owned utilities were also behind a 2016 constitutional amendments that also would have put solar producers at a disadvantage. Voters turned it down. 

Florida’s investor owned utilities want lawmakers to restructure what they are required to pay roof top solar homeowners who sell excess power back to the companies. Currently the utilities are required to pay retail for the power. They are asking lawmakers to make the payments equal to what it costs the utilities to generate a kilowatt hour, claiming customers with rooftop solar are being subsidized by those without solar. But George Cavros of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy told lawmakers that despite asking for hundreds of millions in higher rates, solar was never mentioned.

“The state’s big three monopoly utilities last yea requested rate increases from the Public Service Commission.  Not one utility, not one utility identified last revenue Fromm roof top solar customers as a reason for the rate request. Not one.”

Sponsor Lawrence McCure of Lakeland calls the current payments unfair, but says he is working on a compromise that will satisfy solar installers.

“This is in real time a mandate to take it in whether they need it or not.” McClure said afterward.  “So, we take that all into consideration. I pledged to committee members, my colleagues, and everyone in the industry, we’re going to work on it.”

Solar installation companies said the legislation would cost the state thousands of jobs and gut the roof top solar industry. The investor owned utilities were also behind a 2016 constitutional amendments that also would have put solar producers at a disadvantage. Voters turned it down.