University of South Florida engineers Arif Islam and Alexander Domijan are spearheading the development of one of the nation’s largest smart grids in St. Petersburg. [Photo: Joseph Gamble/USF] |
Committed to
sustainable growth
In June 2008, Gov. Charlie Crist signed into law Florida’s most progressive energy bill to date. Aimed at stimulating Florida’s economy in a sustainable way, this comprehensive energy and economic development policy calls for:
» Creating a Renewable Portfolio Standard for utilities and a Renewable Fuel Standard for gasoline-powered vehicles;
» Developing a cap-and-trade system to regulate greenhouse gas emissions;
» Creating a consortium of state universities and private enterprise to bolster and share research and discoveries in energy technologies; and
» Expanding incentive programs to encourage development in alternative and renewable energy technologies.
Power to the people
Florida offers a number of incentive programs to encourage development in alternative and renewable energy technologies as well as energy conservation and efficiency, including rebates, grants and other tax incentives. Over the last two years, Florida has provided more than $52 million in grant funding to encourage investment in the state and to promote and enhance the use of alternative and renewable energy technologies.
All across the state, there’s a movement afoot to address present and future power demands with innovative solutions and renewable alternatives.
SOLAR
On the renewables front, solar power has center stage, which is hardly surprising given that Florida bills itself “the Sunshine State.” Among developments:
» Researchers at the University of Central Florida’s Florida Solar Energy Center have installed the Southeast’s largest rooftop solar photovoltaic system atop the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando.
» Florida’s largest investor-owned utility, Florida Power & Light (FP&L), has begun building Next Generation Solar Energy Centers at three locations — DeSoto County, Martin County and Kennedy Space Center — and will add a solar array to an existing power plant in Manatee County.
» Long reliant on coal for energy generation, Tampa Electric Company, principal subsidiary of TECO Energy Inc., plans to build one of the nation’s largest solar plants in Polk County.
» The city of Gainesville has approved the nation’s first solar feed-in tariff ordinance whereby customers who install solar photovoltaic panels can sell their leftover energy to the local utility at a profit.
» Customers of Pensacola-based Gulf Power are saving money and energy when they choose to heat their water with the sun. The utility’s new Solar Thermal Water Heating program pays a $1,000 rebate for installation of a solar thermal heater by a qualified contractor. In addition, customers may qualify for a rebate from the state of Florida and a federal income tax credit.
OCEAN CURRENTS
Researchers at Florida Atlantic University’s Center for Ocean Energy Technology took the first step toward generating clean energy from the Gulf Stream when they sank their first Doppler-equipped measuring devices off the coast of Dania Beach in February 2009. Deployment of the four Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCPs) in the Atlantic Ocean at depths of 725 to 2,116 feet will enable researchers to gather baseline information about the Gulf Stream — the world’s most energy dense ocean current — for its potential use as an abundant renewable energy source.
ETHANOL
Florida’s Renewable Fuel Standard requires that gasoline sold here after December 31, 2010, must contain 10% ethanol, and the rush is on to supply it. While ethanol is made primarily from corn in states where that’s the predominant cash crop, Floridians are taking a wider view. Since researchers at the University of Florida genetically engineered a bacterium that can turn just about anything — common grasses, agricultural waste, wood chips — into ethanol, about a dozen cellulosic ethanol plants are either planned or already in operation, including ones that create ethanol from citrus peel, sugar cane and pine forest under story.
OTHER SOURCES
» Natural gas – About 39% of Florida’s electric generating capacity currently comes from natural gas, but industry analysts expect that number to rise as clean air concerns force a decline in the use of coal. In April 2009, Florida Power & Light announced plans to build a 300-mile natural gas pipeline from eastern Palm Beach County to Bradford County in north central Florida, where it will connect with an interstate pipeline carrying natural gas from Texas, Louisiana and
Arkansas. The ambitious
$1.5-billion project, which still requires a lengthy approval process, could be
completed by 2014.
» Nuclear – FP&L operates two nuclear power plants in Florida — one on Hutchinson Island near Fort Pierce and the other at Turkey Point on Biscayne Bay south of
Miami — and has plans to build two more at Turkey Point. Progress Energy Florida has received PSC approval to build a nuclear plant in Levy County.
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