You’d think that Florida, with the country’s third largest population and a politically conservative electorate that focuses on individual choice, would be a solar power leader. After all, the Sunshine State has plenty of the basic resource. But Florida ranks only 13th nationally in installed solar capacity, behind Number 12 Pennsylvania. The reason? Florida is one of only five states that prohibit third-party sales of solar power from non-utility companies. Consumers can buy electricity only from utilities. As a result, the Florida market has been underperforming at a time of rapid growth for the solar industry.
Now, an unlikely alliance of Tea Party conservatives and liberal environmental activists has launched a ballot initiative campaign to eliminate restrictions that protect utilities from competition. This approach seems contagious: Conservatives for Energy Freedom, which has allied with the Sierra Club, is active in Georgia as well as in Florida, and an Arizona group, Tell Utilities Solar Won’t be Killed, is also active in nine other states. Looks like the future for free market solar power business in Florida could be preparing for an upward trend.
Read the release: http://bit.ly/1EaZPpQ
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