The Invading Sea
  • About
  • Editorials
    • Earlier opinion pieces in South Florida media about climate, rising seas
  • In the News
  • Resources
    • What You Can Do
    • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Influencers
No Result
View All Result
The Invading Sea
  • About
  • Editorials
    • Earlier opinion pieces in South Florida media about climate, rising seas
  • In the News
  • Resources
    • What You Can Do
    • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Influencers
No Result
View All Result
The Invading Sea
No Result
View All Result

Rooftop solar on Florida schools makes sense, but power companies want to pull the plug

Energy is the second biggest expense for Florida schools and that means big bucks for power companies.

by Michele Drucker
January 25, 2022
in Influencers
0

By Michele Drucker

Last April, Miami Dade County Public Schools adopted a resolution calling for the use of 100% clean energy by 2030. Seven months later, monopoly utilities began pushing for state legislation that would destroy opportunities for rooftop solar. State lawmakers are debating this issue right now – and our schools’ precious resources hang in the balance. 

Florida schools spend over a half-billion dollars each year on electricity. Energy costs are their second-biggest expense. In Miami-Dade, the school district is one of the top five energy consumers.

Schools can no longer afford to ignore the energy-producing potential of their spacious rooftops. Fully transitioning to rooftop solar by 2030, combined with simple energy-efficiency strategies, could save Miami-Dade schools $100 million every year, as one example.

Michele Drucker

The bill, SB 1024/HB 741, filed by Sen. Jennifer Bradley and Rep. Lawrence McClure, would destroy the immense benefits that rooftop solar offers all Floridians. That’s because it would decimate net metering – a vital policy to rooftop solar that exists in almost every state.

Net metering allows homeowners to return their excess solar energy back to the grid to offset their own energy use, through a one-to-one credit on their energy bill. The utility provider controls this excess energy and can resell it to other customers. But that’s not good enough for them. 

The massive utility operators want to gut this benefit and give customers credit for just a fraction of the excess energy they send back to the grid. Customer-owned solar makes up less than .5% of all energy produced in the state, yet some utilities are crying foul about the “fairness” of net metering because they see people taking their energy needs into their own hands as a threat to their monopolies.

As vice chair of the Miami-Dade County Public Schools 100% Clean Energy Task Force, I am a tireless advocate for affordable clean energy. Rooftop solar on schools can significantly reduce energy costs and shift limited resources into the classroom, where they can benefit Florida’s 3 million public school students, including 340,000 here in Miami-Dade.

On-site solar can also provide learning opportunities, introducing students to clean-energy career pathways. Florida’s solar industry supports tens of thousands of local jobs and adds over $18 billion in economic value. We should be promoting these clean energy jobs for future generations. 

This attack on net metering would stifle the scaling of solar projects on schools. Even worse, it would box them into huge increases on their electric bills, pulling precious resources away from classroom instruction and teacher salaries. 

I hope you’ll join me in urging our state legislators to support students and oppose SB 1024 and HB 741. 

Michele Drucker is vice chair of the Miami-Dade County Public Schools Clean Energy Task Force and Environmental Chair of the Miami-Dade County Council Parent-Teacher Association.

Tags: Florida House Bill 741Florida Senate Bill 1024Michele Druckerschool rooftop solarsolar power
Previous Post

We’re defending a rare Florida wetland from oil drilling

Next Post

Sen. Marco Rubio’s “hotel towel” strategy for climate change

Related Posts

FPL wants to control solar power. And state lawmakers are doing its bidding
Editorials

FPL wants to control solar power. And state lawmakers are doing its bidding

by The Miami Herald Editorial Board
February 8, 2022
Florida’s largest utilities win big if lawmakers gut the rooftop solar program
Editorials

Florida’s largest utilities win big if lawmakers gut the rooftop solar program

by Tampa Bay Times Editorial Board
January 14, 2022
Analyst: Midterm Elections Are An Opportunity For The Sunshine State To Up Its Renewable Energy Use
Influencers

Solar energy under attack in Florida

by William Coty Keller
January 11, 2022
Next Post
Florida’s climate deniers are using a new buzzword — resiliency

Sen. Marco Rubio’s “hotel towel” strategy for climate change

Twitter Facebook

About the Project

The Invading Sea is a collaboration by news organizations across Florida to address the threat we face from sea-level rise. We want to raise awareness, amplify the voice of our region and create a call to action that can’t be ignored. Read More

Archives

Categories

Audio Editorials Faces of Sea Level Rise Influencers In The News Other The Business of Climate Change Video

Watch How the Water Will Rise

sea level rise map
See what happens to your neighborhood as the sea level rises with this interactive map from Climate Central.

© 2022 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.

No Result
View All Result
  • About
  • Editorials
    • Earlier opinion pieces in South Florida media about climate, rising seas
  • In the News
  • Resources
    • What You Can Do
    • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Influencers

© 2022 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Fill the forms bellow to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In