While Florida lags behind states like California and Texas in total solar panel installations, it has recently led the nation.
In the first six months of 2023, the aptly named “Sunshine State” added 2,499 megawatts of solar capacity. By comparison, California added only 1,648 MW during that period and Texas added 1,292 MW. 2023 Florida leads the solar energy race for the first time.
Given that a one-megawatt facility can power between 400 and 900 homes per year (or slightly less because solar generation is intermittent), increasing Florida's generating capacity could power nearly a million more homes.
Canary Media reported that two reasons for the increased production are clean energy incentives under the Inflation Reduction Act and supply chain stability in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, the state still relies on dirty energy to meet most of its electricity needs, according to the news agency. Only 6% of the state's total energy comes from solar energy. The state does not have a renewable portfolio standard, which requires a company to generate a certain amount of energy from renewable sources such as wind and solar.
Additionally, there are no power purchase agreements that allow homeowners to purchase energy through solar panel leases from third-party panels installed on their roofs.
As a result of this policy, most of Florida's solar energy comes from utilities (86%) rather than home solar energy. However, the state still allows net metering, which allows homeowners to sell energy produced by home solar panels back to the grid.
The growth of solar energy in Florida signals a huge renewable energy boom in the U.S. market. Nationwide solar capacity is expected to increase by 32 gigawatts (32,000 MW) this year, according to the Solar Energy Association. This represents a 52% increase compared to last year.
Increasing solar power capacity will improve the country's renewable energy portfolio and eliminate air pollution from sources such as coal and oil.
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