Solar Tax Breaks Survive

So the Senate (after what, nine tries?) finally passes the solar investment tax credit. Now it looks like solar energy companies may be the only bright spot in the stock market. See Reuters report: Solar stocks enjoy rally as US tax breaks renewed

So solar wins out for once, but it can't win without giving big wads of cash to good-ole' Big Oil. It looks like the leadership in the Congress is buckling under the pressure of an uninformed electorate that insists that punching holes in the American coastline for more global warming juice is going to give them a break on the price. It probably will - in a decade. By then gas will be $5 a gallon anyway.

So is this a win for Florida? I guess so, as long as we don't consider the detrimental effects of continued growth in the combustion of fossil fuels and that Florida is the State that will suffer the most from sea level rise. The Florida Congressional Delegation also secured the extension of the moratorium for Florida.

At least we can now get closer to serious about solar energy production in this country. Hopefully Florida will take advantage.

MIami Herald: PSC OK's deals on electricity fed back to grid

BY JOHN DORSCHNER

jdorschner@MiamiHerald.com

After months of discussion, the Public Service Commission on Thursday approved agreements from the state's five investor-owned power companies so that customers can receive credit for electricity that they feed back to the grid from solar panels and other forms of renewable energy on their property.

The concept, called net metering, is to promote the development of customer-owned renewable energy by minimalizing costs. Excess power that the customer generates and doesn't use will be allowed to go into the grid, and then the utility will give the homeowner a credit for that power.

''By making it more attractive for customers to use renewables, we are promoting fuel diversity and reliability and increasing development of renewable generation in Florida,'' said PSC Chairman Matthew M. Carter II in a prepared statement. ``Today's approval will encourage eligible customers to reduce the electricity purchased from their utility -- saving money for the customer and increasing grid capacity for the utility.''

The discussion about net metering has been taking place in PSC workshops and commission meetings for a year and a half.

The new measure applies to customers of Florida Power & Light, Progress Energy Florida, Gulf Power, Tampa Electric and Florida Public Utilities.

Under a previous rule, only renewable systems of 10 kilowatts or smaller were eligible. That has been expanded to two megawatts, meaning large businesses with solar panels occupying rooftops can now qualify for the program.

Also on Thursday, the PSC approved FPL's request to build another generator powered by natural gas in western Palm Beach County.