Thoughts on Florida Energy Choice Initiative: SACE is not in support of the Florida Energy Choice ballot amendment initiative.
SACE is not in support of the Florida Energy Choice ballot amendment initiative. Two reasons for our stand: the likelihood that 6,000 MW of planned solar over the next 5 years could be delayed or cancelled, and the appearance that net metering for solar systems could be eliminated.
Recently, Florida staff for the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy and I have been getting a lot of questions about the Florida Energy Choice (FEC) ballot amendment initiative. Our due diligence has lead SACE to conclude that we are not in support of the proposed amendment to bring wholesale and retail markets to Florida. In this blog, I’ll share the two primary reasons we have come to this conclusion: the FEC initiative could cause the delay or cancellation of roughly 6,000 megawatts (MW) of solar over the next five years, and the FEC initiative could eliminate net metering for solar systems, affecting both existing and future distributed solar customers.
SACE has researched the potential impacts of the FEC initiative thoroughly, including discussions with the amendment’s proponents and the investor-owned utilities that oppose the effort. We have talked with former regulators and developers from Texas who have direct experience with the restructuring model that the current ballot effort is based. We have spoken with clean energy advocates from other restructured market states. We have also reviewed the findings of the Florida Financial Impact Estimating Conference. We believe that the ballot initiative’s sponsors are well-intentioned, and we welcome constructive debate on reforms in Florida leading to more competition and customer choice for energy.
Read the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy’s full blog post opposing the Florida Energy Choice Initiative here
