Bill would have eliminated net-metering in Florida.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. Florida Governor. Ron DeSantis vetoed Wednesday HB 741, a bill which would have eliminated net metering in Florida. Net metering is a policy that compensates solar owners who generate excess electricity and then sell it back to the grid.
Florida has a lot of rooftop solar potential. If it is tapped, it will bring cleaner air to Florida, and the surrounding states, and make communities healthier. Johanna Neumann, Senior Director of the Campaign for 100% Renewable Energy At Environment Florida. Smart solar policies, including net metering, have helped Florida rank fifth in the United States for solar growth over the past decade. It is great to see Governor DeSantis acknowledge the value of solar energy and veto legislation that would have stopped rooftop solar power generation in Florida.
Environment Florida and its affiliate organizations have fought for years to defend policies that promote solar growth in the Sunshine State. Environment America teamed up with Alianza and the Florida Solar Coalition to generate over 1,000 calls from Floridians for Gov. DeSantis should urge him to veto this bill. Governor was also emailed by more than 250 Environment Florida members. DeSantis received the same message.
Rooftop solar panels are a powerful and beneficial way of harnessing clean energy, as Environment America Research and Policy Centers 2021 report, Rooftop Solar in Risk, explains. Placing panels onto rooftops reduces conflicts between land preservation, renewable energy production, and reduces the need to have expensive long-distance transmission networks. It also helps to create an electricity system that is more resilient to wildfires, and other climate-related catastrophes.
Experiments in other states proved that Florida’s solar adoption would have been significantly lower if net meters were ended, as was the case with HB741. Take this example:
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The Salt River Project in Arizona introduced new fees and policies to rooftop solar. This nearly doubled the time it took for people to install solar panels to get their money back. These changes led to solar adoption dropping between 50% and 95%.
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The 2016 Nevada cut to net-metering compensation was followed in 2016 by a 47% decrease in residential solar installations over a year. Nevada eventually restored net metering.
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The Imperial Irrigation District, California, stopped using net metering in July 2016. This caused residential solar installations to fall by 88%.
Rooftop solar is more affordable, more efficient, and more accessible to Floridians than ever. Susan McGrath is the Executive Director of Florida Consumer Action Network, FCAN.. Florida has so many benefits from rooftop solar for our homes, schools, and businesses. We thank Governor DeSantis, who rejected attempts to drive rooftop solar out of Florida’s market.
The California Public Utilities Commission, (CPUC), is currently reviewing the state’s net-metering policy. The CPUC rescinded a controversial policy earlier this year that was criticized as a solar tax. The proposed policy change would have made solar customers pay high monthly fees and reduced net meters credits by 80%. The CPUC will likely issue a revised proposal for net metering later in the spring.
Rooftop solar is the fastest way to generate clean and renewable power. We don’t have the time to mess about, said Neumann. Florida should be doing all it can to promote rooftop solar, not slowing it down. Today’s actions send a clear message to Florida and the rest the country that America’s solar future looks bright. Florida Governor DeSantis deserves credit.
