****Updated 12/29/2009

Some updated numbers on the Gainesville FIT program provided by Gainesville Regional Utilities:

* 563 kW have been completed through the FIT program.

* Because the FIT queue was filled so quickly another 452kW has been installed through the GRU net metering program since last March.

* In total GRU has had over 1MW of solar installed in less than a year (compared to 230kw between the entire period of 1980-2009).

On March 1, 2009, Gainesville Regional Utilities in Gainesville, Florida began the first solar feed-in tariff program in the United States patterned after  European countries such as Germany in which payment is based on “the estimated generation costs of the renewable energy system, plus a mandated rate of return on investment”.  Under the arrangement GRU customers who invest in solar PV systems can sell the electricity generated back to GRU at a fixed price of $0.32 per kilowatt hour for 20 years.  Initially hailed as a landmark decision for community solar the program has featured measurable successes along with high profile critics. 

The biggest criticism came unexpectedly from the leader of one of the largest solar industry association.  Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) President & CEO Rhone Resch had the following to say about the program at the PV Industry forum in May:

"You are now seeing Gainesville Florida had the first Feed-in Tariff in the country. It was poorly designed; it will probably give Feed-in Tariffs a bit of a black eye in the US. But at least it was the first."

Some of the "poor design" aspects Mr. Resch may have been talking about include no application fee to weed out speculative projects, verification of financing, no requirement for drawings of proposed projects, not requiring systems to be built on existing structures which allowed for too many speculative projects.  All of these criticisms are legitimate when consideration is given to how fast this program was able to be up and running.  However, Mr. Resch appears to suggest that the only companies qualified to take part in solar expansion in Florida are large utility companies and national corporate interests with the following statements:

"So until the bigger companies really start to take a role in this particular program and they are in the queue, but what you are going to find is the first tier of projects that have received acceptance probably won’t ever get constructed. So Gainesville after six months is going to have to say “alright fine you guys aren’t going to be able to get it done, let’s go to the second tier” and that’s where you start seeing the SunEdisons and the Conergys and those kinds of companies who will be able to actually build some of these projects."

Apparently in Mr. Resch's world small business has little place in the expansion of renewable energy programs.  The Gainesville feed-in-tariff, the first such program in North America did not go off without a hitch and so that means we don't have enough corporate control of the process.  Apparently Mr. Resch has not been paying attention to utility costs in the state of Florida.  With large utility corporations in control of the process we have seen nothing but increased costs passed on to the consumer again and again, most having nothing to do with renewable energy.  It makes you wonder if Mr. Resch and the SEIA have gotten too cozy with the large utility companies and the lobbyists that deliver their demands. 

Rhone Resch's opinions aside let's look at some of the positive developments with the Gainesville feed-in tariff. Experts believe Gainesville’s feed-in tariff program will increase local installation of solar PV systems by an average of 1000 kilowatts per year over the next 20 years. The cost?  Approximately 1% accross the board to GRU customers. Less than one month after being implemented in March, 2009 GRU had already received proposals for approximately 12 megawatts of solar PV energy. As of September GRU has accepted enough applications to generate solar PV electricity to meet the program’s targets through 2016 and there were 36 solar PV systems already installed with a total capacity of 210 kilowatts.

According to Harald Kegelmann, CEO of Advanced Solar Technologies, a Gainesville solar installation company, "GRU has done an excellent job designing a FIT policy in a very short time.  But being the first always means that there are growing pains.”  Some additional improvements suggested by Mr. Kegelmann are educating local investors, engaging stakeholders to help validate feed-in tariff rates and channel business to local firms and setting aside a portion of the program quota for households, schools, public buildings and non-profit organizations.

It seems to me that if the ultimate goal is more renewable energy projects large and small we should embrace the feed-in-tariff model and strive to improve it to work for everyone.  Why is there no government sanctioned body in the state of Florida to study this issue and tweak it to provide for new green jobs and energy savings throughout the state?  Could it be that the energy lobby is deeply entrenched in this state and therefore what little urgency there is for renewable energy is focused on large corporate utility projects? 

Regardless, the action taken by the city of Gainesville and Gainesville Regional Utilities should be commended and we should allow them the time to refine and improve the program before nitpicking the process. 

Don't look now but another big player in the home improvement market is banking on solar taking off this year.  Lowe's has announced that they will begin selling 13 home solar packages on their website and make them available in stores by the end of the month. 

The solar panels themselves will be manufactured by Akeena Solar and Brightwatts, a Florida-based photovoltaics company. The 50-watt panel also comes bundled together with a Duracell power station that has AC and DC outlets and an alarm clock-radio built in.  The price: $350 or $7/watt.  At this price Lowe's must be counting on do-it-yourself consumers to take on solar installation to mitigate the cost. Besides that fact a 50-watt system is not going to power much, maybe a couple of lights or a radio. 

There is also an $80 watt solar system available at a cost of $500 or $6.25/watt manufactured by Sunforce. 

Although this is a positive sign about the prospects of the home solar industry taking off in the near future I do not expect sales of these small home units to take off, at least right away.  In order for do-it-yourself solar to really gain momentum prices need to continue to drop significantly.  No matter how simple you make the installation it still remains a labor intensive job that needs to be done right.  In order to get consumers to take on this responsibility it better be cheaper and provide more significant energy savings. 

A cooperative effort in the State of Florida to find new and better methods of implementing renewable energy solutions is off and running and the possibilities are exciting.  According to their website the Florida Energy Systems Consortium (FESC) was "created by the Florida State government to promote collaboration among the energy experts at its 11 supported universities to share energy-related expertise. The consortium assists the state in the development and implementation of an environmentally compatible, sustainable, and efficient energy strategic plan."

According to a report by Greentech Media, The following projects are currently underway by the FESC:

Solar-Powered Desalination: This research focuses on using the sun to create drinking water from seawater. The process involves using solar energy collectors to heat the seawater at above the boiling point to collect evaporated water, which then contains no salt. The vapor is condensed after going through a heat exchanger that uses cold seawater. The fresh water is then position to fall 10 meters or more to run a vacuum, which increases the evaporation rate. The brine, with concentrated salt, is sent back to the ocean.

Germ Killer From the Sky: Early research is in place to use solar energy to disinfect water. The idea is to create a catalyst using materials such as titanium dioxide that can absorb sunlight and create free radicals. The free radicals then seek out and kill microbes in the water.

A Cooler Way to Generate Solar Thermal Power: Solar thermal power needs to be cheaper in order for it to be competitive with conventional power, Anderson said. Cutting the equipment cost by about 50 percent is the way to do it. But how? Researchers are exploring the use of ammonia to generate solar thermal power at a much lower temperature. The lead researcher of the project, Yogi Goswami, has gotten funding from venture-backed and India-based SunBorne Energy, where he serves as its technology advisor, to commercialize his research. He's planning a pilot plant at the University of South Florida. 

Solar Cell/LED/Battery Module: A solar cell produces direct current. A light-emitting diode runs on a direct current. A battery can store direct current. So why not combine them together to create a lighting system with energy storage? That's idea behind the research to build a solar cell with transparent organic material on top of an organic LED. The LED emits light downward and sits on top of a transparent platform that's embedded with lithium-ion batteries. The solar cell charges the battery during the day, and the batteries can power the LED light at night.

With such a lack of government support as well as a Florida Public Service Commission that does not appear committed to renewable energy it is great to see the university system take the lead on renewable energy innovation. 

A Palm City Florida solar company, SOL Inc.,  has developed a new light that protects sea turtles from distraction while nesting on Florida beaches. Sea turtle hatchlings are attracted reflections of light off water to make the trip from their nests to the ocean but they can be easily distracted by bright lights from buildings on or near the beach. 

According to Sol President and CEO Rick Schuett, the lights use amber light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, with a wave length that sea turtles can’t see.  “It’s not the color of the light that makes it work, it’s the wave length. Amber light has a longer wave than white light.”

Sol donated and installed two of its lights in the parking lot of the Florida Oceanographic Society’s Coastal Center on Hutchinson Island in Stuart.  In addition, Martin County provided a $11,000 grant to install three more of the lights. 

According to Cris Wagner, director of education and exhibits at the coastal center, “During the nesting season (March through November), people find a hatchling or two in nearby parking lots almost weekly.  Hatchlings make their way farther than most people think.”