You can also listen to her presentation at the recent Free Speech Forum, here. If you haven’t read Mirage, you can order it through your
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Dads Were Green A Long Time Ago
Gainesville Approves Tariff for Solar
Tallahassee Biomass Plant Proposal
Energy Efficient Manufactured Homes
Solar Water Heater Tax Credits
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James Young is the chair of the Solar Advocacy committee, which has been working in Leon County with the ‘green home’ retrofit program by Rainbow Rehab and expanding the “I Recycle” program in the schools.
Tom Cordi, the new Executive Director of Sustainable Tallahassee, spoke briefly about his goal to “get everyone involved in Sustainability.” PHOTO: Florida Solar Energy Center
Familiar face, David Byrne, spoke about solar systems and how they are becoming a larger portion of the City’s Energy Loan Program. He said that the cost to purchase and install system is a barrier: a 2K system could cost up to $20,000 to purchase and install. Capital costs can be spread over ten years (originally five). Savings in energy costs can be applied to repayments. The City, a member of the Solar Energy Producers Association, has supported staff to be trained at Florida Solar Energy Center. The City’s fairly new Department on Energy Policy researches and promotes conservation and green energy policy.
David spoke about the City’s net metering program, implemented in 2001, which allows customers with solar to send excess energy back to the grid. The customer is then credited on the utility bill (no funds are paid back to the customer) and referenced the solar water heater rebate of $450 (this is in addition to the solar tax credit). Currently, 361K in solar power is generated through net metering, close to the City’s initial goal of 400K generated through solar. (This may not be an accurate estimate, as the City does not have information on solar installations that are not tied into the grid.) He sees solar playing a greater part in the utility’s portfolio and in utilities across Florida. He mentioned that, since some type of federal carbon “law” to incentive carbon reduction will be passed in the near future, the City will need to rebalance its current methods of power generation.
A discussion of ROI (return on investment) for solar always sparks a lively debate. Looking at $4.00 per watt, as the current cost, several attendees said they felt this cost would be greatly reduced, as the cost of solar is coming down dramatically and others debated whether ROI should even be a part of the conversation. Do homeowners discuss ROI for any other home purchase–a dishwasher? Current ROI for solar panels could be as high as 45% after the rebate and federal tax credit.
Leon County was represented by Sustainable Director, Maggie Terry, who expressed her interest in learning where the County fits into the renewable energy picture. She said that since Leon County is not a utility provider, it is looking for the appropriate role to promote sustainability, including solar. Talquin Electric was not represented at the meeting.
A number of people said that access to capital is, indeed, the barrier to installing more solar. One question posed was could solar energy loans be designed with funding from the County, lent to the City, administered as loans to utility customers who would repay the loan through an additional fee included on their monthly utility bill? The current City of Tallahassee loan program is almost all being utilized for investments in solar. Debt repayment through this mechanism has a significantly lower default rate that traditional consumer or home equity loans.
“Right now, it’s easier to get a concealed weapons permit than a solar rebate,” said Al Simpler owner of Simpler Solar Systems in Tallahassee, referring to the lag in time between when an individual applies for a rebate and the time the rebate is issued. The Governor’s Energy Office has a waiting list that goes back to February.
$7.4 million has been issued in rebates, however funding for rebates was depleted prior to the end of Florida’s fiscal year, June 30, 2009. Other states assign rebate certificates ahead of time so that the individual or business knows they are approved for a rebate. Florida claims this approach is illegal in this state. Currently, the solar program ends July 2010. Unlike California, Florida does not have an on-going source for solar funding, but has to wait each year for the Legislature to appropriate and authorize funds.
The City may be looking at the ‘feed-in tariff’ adopted by the Gainesville Regional Utilities that pays customers a pre-negotiated price of $.32 per K hr. for energy generateed back to the grid by solar. Gainesville should have six months of data on this now, and has adopted the name RED (Renewable Energy Dividend), eliminating the word tariff.
The headaches of City permitting and the many layers through which a contractor must travel, brought to light the fact that Leon County has adopted a permitting system that provides for a master permit file with the pre-review of solar contractors, who can then pull permits over the web. A telephone permitting system is available for vendors who have a trust account established with the County.
The Solar Advocacy Group will continue to meet and will take suggestions offered at this meeting and research others as a part of making recommendations for improving access to solar in the community. Residents are encouraged to participate in future meetings which are posted on the Sustainable Tallahassee website.
]]>U.S. homeowners can make energy efficiency home improvements that qualify for up to $1,500 in federal income tax credits.
“The ARRA tax credits are very similar to those that were in effect a few years ago and renewed for 2009 only in the Troubled Asset Relief Program last fall,” Steve Nadel, executive director of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE).
]]>Lots of ‘no’ votes from Florida–all Republicans. Below is a list of those who voted ‘yes.’ Florida could have used Alcee Hastings vote, not sure why he was not present for the vote. Apparently, Rep. Allen Boyd had to be coaxed into voting for the bill. I remember his mantra at last year’s energy forum in Leon County: we must be free from our dependendance on foreign oil!
Since Florida voted straight party lines, it’s difficult to tell who may support the bill’s intent, but is busily guarding his/her political career. The Senate begins consideration of its version of the bill min September.
F. Allen Boyd D FL-2
Corrine Brown D FL-3
Kathy Castor D FL-11
Alan Grayson D FL-8
Ron Klein D FL-22
Suzanne Kosmas D FL-24
Kendrick Meek D FL-17
Debbie Wasserman Schultz D FL-20
Robert Wexler D FL-19
I made my first trip out to the ‘Solid Waste Facility’ out Apalachee Parkway and left a couple of non-operable CPU’s with them A very nice gentleman added my two to the enormous stack. I regretted that I didn’t bring my Styrofoam (TM) which is also recycled there.
The Leon County’s Electronic Recycling Center is located at 7550 Apalachee Parkway and takes electronics of all types. More information at their website.
You can also rid yourself of electronic clutter: TV’s DVD players, cell phones, monitors, printers and any other electronic flotsam at the City’s semi-annual Cash for Trash on April 18th and receive two compact florescent light bulbs or a coupon for $5 off your City utility bill. Details at the Green Calendar.
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$1.00 per month will help a low income familiy in Tallahassee keep their heat this winter. Click here to learn more.
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The Council of Neighborhood Associations (CONA) held their public, town-hall style meeting last night, which was well attended. The Tallahassee Democrat reported over 100 people in the audience.
Some very well informed people from the audience asked questions which supported their skepticism about the biomass project proposed by BG & E, and approved in FSU’s Campus Master Plan.
Some of the people at the front table had done their homework and many of us in the audience shook our collective heads when some others spoke, wondering why they had been invited in the first place.
The moderator, Marjorie Turnbull, did a commendable job in letting individuals have the floor without interruptions from either side.
Lesson Learned:
- The process for siting a small energy producing plant in Florida appears to be inadequate to address the necessary health, environmental and community concerns.
- The implementation of the Campus Master Plan as an effective tool to allow universities, large land-holding institutions, to plan for growth and development outside the local planning process was not intended to adequately plan for something like a power plant siting in a residential neighborhood. It was intended to plan for future land use including classrooms, housing, research facilities, infrastructure (including roads and the traffic it creates), conservation, recreation and open space, parking facilities and all other things normally associated with a university’s growth. The 6C-21, Florida Administrative Code governs Campus Master Plans. https://www.flrules.org/gateway/ChapterHome.asp?Chapter=6C-21
- Some of the Guest Panelists added no substantive information
- Many residents and other interested audience participants did their homework before coming
- The City of Tallahassee has studied alternative sources of energy, including solar, geothermal, wind, tidal and biomass, with emphasis on demand management and conservation. Solar PVE was determined not cost effective in today’s market, while solar thermal is considered cost effective.
The meeting started with a lengthy, overview of what is biomass by Ben Cowart, Department of Energy Services for the City of Tallahassee. Here’s a clearer, shorter biomass 101 from Wikipedia.
At the end of the meeting, it was confirmed by BG & E official, Glenn Farris, that the sources of the biomass to gasify in the proposed plant has not been secured as of yet. [BiomassGasElectric, Inc.
Click here to publish your commitment and add some extra resolutions in the comments!
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