A new initiative, funded through the U.S. Department of Energy and coordinated by both the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council and its counterpart in Southwest Florida, aims to help more homeowners harness the solar power that falls on their roofs every day.
“The goal isn’t to get solar on every single roof, it’s to improve the mix of renewable energy in the region,” said Brady Smith, TBRPC principal planner charged with coordinating the SolarReady grant, one of just nine in the nation.
In many parts of the country, the reduced costs for solar panels has been offset by the increased “soft” costs including permitting, zoning and connection fees that can add as much as 60% to the cost.
That doesn’t appear to be an issue in the Tampa Bay region, Smith said. Instead, the primary concern for most homeowners is the initial cost and financing. Although a 30% federal tax credit is available at least through the end of 2016, the most popular financing option in other states is not available in Florida.
For instance, SolarCity, the nation’s largest solar company, installs panels on customers’ homes under a 20-year lease that does not require any upfront payment. SolarCity then sells the customer the power it generates at a locked-in rate that is typically lower than what the homeowner had been paying to a local utility.
According to Florida law, only electric utilities may sell electricity to the public. And while the regulations are complex, SolarCity has begun leasing solar systems in some new developments where homes are built specifically for solar and costs drop with a high volume of installations.
“Nearly everyone wants to minimize their reliance on fossil fuels, but it still boils down to dollars and cents for most of us,” Smith said. “Unless you have an extra $20,000 available to pay for the installation, you’re going to have to finance it through a lender and that may make the entire project unrealistic.”
Another issue is the fact that utilities continue to sell customers with solar power electricity at retail rates, but then buy it back at wholesale costs, Smith said. But from the utilities’ perspective, that differential helps to pay for building and maintaining the power grid that moves electricity back and forth.
“We’re working locally, regionally and nationally to find the best practices to make solar power more cost competitive,” he said.
[su_divider top=”no”] [su_note note_color=”#4094ad” text_color=”#f0f0f0″] [easy-media med=”4600″ align=”right” size=”320,320″]“Green roofs” gaining popularity across Florida
While solar gets more headlines for its impact on the environment, another rooftop technology is poised to make a difference in water quality.
Approximately 50,000 square feet of “green roof” – designed to capture and filter stormwater as well as reduce energy costs – have been built across the state. Like rooftop solar, green roofs offer both environmental and economic advantages, particularly over the long term.
“It pays for itself the first time you don’t need to replace the roof,” says Marty Wanielista, professor emeritus of the University of Central Florida’s Stormwater Management Academy. “Most roofs need to be replaced every 10 or 12 years – a green roof won’t require replacement for 50 or more years. You definitely save money in the long run.”
As efforts to limit urban sprawl encourage redevelopment, a green roof may become an affordable alternative to retention ponds, Wanielista adds. “If you’re looking at high land costs, a green roof becomes a cost-effective option.”[/su_note] [su_divider]