Florida Postcards: Bungled Solar Rebate Program

FPL mismanaged the state’s rooftop solar rebate program to the point that state regulators recently voted to end the program because it wasn’t cost-efficient. The utility-run program left thousands of home and business owners unpaid and incongruously increased incentives over time as solar prices declined. As a final nail in the coffin, in its final year, two computer glitches in as many weeks wreaked havoc on the system and left many applicants angry. FPL’s anti-solar actions may be a sign of what’s to come in Hawaii if the HECO acquisition is approved.

It’s high time for a smart rebate program that so that consumers can invest with confidence in solar power, while at the same time putting the local solar industry on a growth path to zero state incentives. NextEra should show Hawaii that it’s ready to lead on solar by building that kind of strong, self-sustaining new energy economy in Florida once and for all.