By:
On:
In: Education, News, Opinion
With: 1 Comment

Net Metering, the concept and laws that allow solar electricity producers to connect to the grid and sell back energy, is under attack in the United States. Florida has been spared from the recent trend of utility companies working publicly to repeal or amend Net Metering laws. Utility companies in other states have taken various public and well-funded measures to repeal Net Metering laws or to make Net Metering less attractive to solar energy customers. For example, Arizona utilities recently succeeded in adding a fixed charged for solar producers based on photovoltaic system size. While it was opposed by the solar industry and the finalRead More →

By:
On:
In: Education, News
With: 0 Comments

Did you notice your latest bill from FPL hit you a bit harder in the pocketbook? Effective January 2, 2014, FPL raised rates for residential customers by about 5%, caused mostly by increased fuel charges. This change, approved by the Public Service Commission, also increased the non-fuel base electricity charge slightly. The fixed customer charge remained the same. Bills with the higher charges are arriving in mailboxes now. Want to fight back? Fuel and non-fuel consumption is reduced by conserving energy or by producing your own energy with solar energy or other renewable energy sources. The best part about solar energy is that you shaveRead More →

By:
On:
In: Education, Opinion
With: 0 Comments

I just finished watching to the webinar from the Lawrence Berkeley National Labs, “Tracking the Sun VI: An Historical Summary of the Installed Price of Photovoltaics in the United States from 1998 to 2012.”  The data definitely backs the trends we are seeing locally in Southwest Florida. Here are some observations: Prices have continued a downward trend over the last decade, but have leveled off in 2013. With photovoltaic (PV) prices starting to tick back up, installed system prices are likely to increase in the near-term (installed price changes tend to lag PV module wholesale price changes). This is exactly what we are seeing andRead More →

By:
On:
In: Projects
With: 0 Comments

Patriot Stor-All, a Bonita Springs storage facility, is installing 76kW of solar power by Fafco Solar. The solar electric system will provide power to tenants in three of the ten buildings on the property, with plans for future expansion to other buildings. The system features 313 solar panels by Canadian Solar, Enphase microinverters, Unirac Solarmount rails, and EcoFasten Solar mounting brackets on a new TPO roof membrane. Storage facilities present a huge opportunity for owners who can harvest energy from otherwise wasted roof space and generate additional revenue to maximize productivity of property. Long-term real estate investments in storage facilities are compatible with the safe,Read More →