The number of customer-owned renewable generation installations increased 57% in 2018, according to utility reports filed with the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC).
Renewable system interconnections totaled 37,862, which is up from 24,157 in 2017. Statewide, electric generation capacity from customer-owned renewable systems increased 54%, reaching 317.46 MW AC.
Solar PV continues to be the most popular renewable choice, the PSC notes. Specifically, according to PSC’s data, of the 37,862 interconnections, 37,831 were solar (totaling 310.3 MW AC), 25 were wind (totaling 0.12 MW AC) and six were “other” (totaling 7 MW AC).
Florida’s rules allowing customers to interconnect their systems with the utility’s grid were established in 2008. Since their inception, renewable systems have increased more than 6,400% – from 577 to 37,862 interconnections, according to the PSC.
“After a decade of use, our interconnection rules have more than proven their effectiveness at ‘priming the pump’ for growing customer-owned rooftop solar,” says PSC chairman Art Graham. “This, coupled with the many utility-scale solar projects coming online, benefits Florida’s renewable generation for all customers.”
Florida’s investor-owned utilities (IOUs) are required by the rules to offer an expedited interconnection agreement process so that homeowners and businesses interested in generating their own energy can do so quickly and safely, the PSC points out.
Municipal electric utility and rural electric cooperative customers also support renewable generation: Every Florida municipal and cooperative that sells electricity at retail is required by statute to provide a standardized interconnection agreement and net metering program for customer-owned renewable generation systems.
Florida’s utilities reported the following information on customer-owned renewable generation for 2014-2018:
Individual utility reports on customer-owned renewable systems and summary data are available here.
