Summary:

As recently as 2016, the Sunshine State was headed toward over-reliance on natural gas, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists. Floridians even defeated a solar leasing ballot measure in 2016. But falling solar costs and new customer demand are powering a solar turnaround in the state, putting Florida as an emerging leader in solar power in the southeast United States.

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Main Article:

This month, the City Commission of South Miami unanimously passed a resolution committing the city to transition to 100% clean, renewable energy community-wide by 2040. South Miami becomes the first city in south Florida and the eighth city in the state to commit to powering itself with 100% clean, renewable sources of energy, like solar and storage.

The resolution emphasizes a just and equitable transition to 100 percent clean energy, and includes a commitment for the city to work with community stakeholders to implement its goal. As part of the commitment, Commissioners approved a timeline and milestones for implementation developed by their Green Task Force.

South Miami joins a growing group of Florida cities that includes Dunedin, Gainesville, Largo, Orlando, St. Petersburg, Sarasota, and Tallahassee -- and becomes the 122nd city in the U.S. -- to commit to this goal.

South Miami has a history of environmental leadership, from committing to carbon neutral municipal operations, participating in the creation of the Green Corridor PACE financing district, and leading Solar United Neighbors of Florida to expand solar purchasing cooperatives into South Florida. Recently, the City became the first municipality outside of California to require all new construction include solar energy systems.

“South Miami's new commitment to a 100 percent clean and renewable energy supply community-wide is the natural extension of our history of commitment to the planet, our children, and the natural world. Now we have roll up our sleeves, fill out our budget, and move this commitment from paper to reality. We invite our neighboring municipalities to join us in transforming our economy and infrastructure to a more sustainable way of life," said South Miami Mayor Phil Stoddard.

“Communities across Florida know firsthand what the climate crisis means for our future. To build healthier, resilient, and strong communities and local economies, we need to focus on our contributions to a global issue that will touch families in our community and across the world. Congratulations to South Miami for leading the way locally -- the Sierra Club looks forward to working with the City to implement its vision for 100 percent clean, renewable energy. In the Sunshine State, solar can be our ticket to powering forward a better future for all,” said Noel Cleland, Political Committee Chair of the Florida Sierra Club Miami Group.

Those commitments are transforming the Sunshine State into a powerhouse when it comes to solar power in the southeast U.S. 

Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE) has released its Annual Report entitled The Solar in the Southeast 2018, providing a comprehensive look at the region and highlighting solar data and trends, including Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

Using the metric “watts per customer,” which looks at the amount of installed solar relative to the total number of customers served, SACE offers a unique analysis, with detailed information at the regional, state, and utility level. The watts per customer metric provides an unbiased standard by which utilities and states can be compared and contrasted.

Florida has four utilities who are classified as “Sunrisers” leading the way in smart solar development with the highest forecast four-year increase in this watts per customer solar ratio. The leading utilities include Tampa Electric, FPL, Orlando (OUC), and Jacksonville (JEA), who along with Duke Energy Florida almost tied at watts per customer. Florida is also seeing a surge in residential and commercial scale solar, thanks in part to continued strong net metering policies throughout the state and the approval of several new solar leasing programs by the Florida Public Service Commission.

Florida Power and Light (FPL), the biggest of Florida's three top investor-owned utilities (IOUs), is targeting over 8 GW of utility-scale solar by 2030. Duke Energy Florida (DEF) has committed to 700 MW and Tampa Electric Company (TECO) has committed to 600 MW, both by 2022. The Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC) has seen 150% distributed solar growth per year for the past four years.

“We are very pleased to see some of the key utility players making significant solar commitments in the Sunshine State” said Dr. Stephen A. Smith, Executive Director of Southern Alliance for Clean Energy. “As this development continues, Florida will become a national leader and Floridians will see real economic and environmental benefits flow to customers throughout the state.”