Clean Energy Congress 2.0 wraps up in US

The event, hosted by the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, was held expressly to facilitate an honest discussion about what constitutes good energy policy for the Sunshine State.

According to the delegates at the event, Florida rewards power companies for building large new power plants by providing investor-owned utilities with a healthy rate of return on their capital expenses. As a result, they said, there is little or no incentive to help customers use less energy by capturing cost effective energy efficiency.

Like waiters in a restaurant, utilities recognize the larger the bill, the more money they bring home. This dynamic must change, which is why business leaders are coming together to develop a plan for the 2014 Legislative session, the group said.

By the time the event concluded, delegates debated several proposals to diversify Florida’s energy mix. These included:

• Developing one gigawatt of new solar power in Florida;
• Creating an open and transparent Public Service Commission process. (The PSC is the body that regulates Florida utilities);
• Meet 1 percent of electricity demand through energy efficiency measures that cost less than building new power plants;
• Make Florida a leader in clean transportation, and
• Boost Florida’s economy through jobs in the clean technology sector.

According to the Florida Solar Energy Center, every year, the state sends $57 billion out of the state to buy fuel for electricity and transportation. The event delegates argued that keeping energy dollars here at home circulates through the economy creating jobs.

They also pointed out renewables are increasingly competitive as conventional power rates. To illustrate their point, they said conventional power rates have increased in Florida by over 50 percent since 2000, while the installed cost of solar systems has dropped by 50 percent over the same time period.

They also sought to show how Florida is falling behind neighboring states in this regard.

Compared to Florida's "disjointed" planning process, they said, the US state of Georgia conducts utility planning with a transparent, least cost approach.

" As a result, the Georgia Public Service Commission just required Georgia Power – counterpart to Gulf Power – to increase cost-effective solar by 525 MW by the end of 2016. Georgia Power is already developing 260 MW of solar for a total of 785 MW. By contrast, the Sunshine State has only 205 MW of solar power," the group said.

For additional information:

Southern Alliance for Clean Energy