A delegation of high-level officials of the Chinese solar electricity industry and the foremost experts in their policy and market development areas, participating in the China Renewable Energy Development Project, (REDP), visited the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) in Cocoa, Florida on March 13 as part of their study tour of solar electric businesses and institutions in the United States. In addition to visiting FSEC, the group met with major photovoltaics (solar electric) manufacturers in the New York and Boston area and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado. Read more
Author: Sherri Shields
FSEC Director Addresses 2014 Energy Use
— Taking Charge of Our Energy Future: Choosing the Better Pie
On January 10, 2006, FSEC Director Jim Fenton addressed the Florida Senate Committee on Communications and Public Utilities, commonly called the “Energy Committee,” with a positive message on how Florida can leverage federal tax credits for renewable energy and energy efficiency to significantly alter its outlook for electric energy use in 2014. Current Florida projections for electric energy use in 2014 call for Florida utilities to produce 75 billion killowatt-hours more energy than they produced in 2004, a 32% increase in energy use over the decade.
Fenton compared the “business as usual model” that results in Florida’s 2014 energy use projections against the results of an in-house FSEC study that illustrates how future electrical use could be dramatically reduced within Florida’s largest energy use sector — residences, which make up 51% of the total.
The pie chart on the left presents Florida’s current projection for growth in electric energy generation between 2004 and 2014 and the one on the right presents an alternative if renewable energy and energy efficiency are aggressively pursued by the state, leveraging the federal tax credits. (All savings were assumed to come from growth in natural gas generation due to the rapidly rising cost of natural gas.)
These results come from studies conducted by FSEC using typical Florida homes in various Florida climates. Results are then projected to statewide savings. To qualify for the federal tax credits, individual home savings are significant at 50% of heating and cooling costs. As a result, total home energy savings exceed 40% in all Florida climates.
These individual savings, when projected to a statewide level, result in significant benefits to the state over the 10-year time period
between 2004 and 2014, as follows:
| Total energy savings |
24.7 TWh
|
| Total consumer cost savings |
$2.47 billion
|
| Total fuel not purchased |
$1.24 billion
|
| Avoided capacity |
1,669 MW
|
| Avoided generation costs |
$1.67 billion
|
| New jobs |
126,000
|
| Tradable renewable energy credits (TRECs) |
$420 million
|
| CO2 savings |
26.4 million tons
|
Dr. Fenton’s full power point presentation, “Taking Charge of Our Energy Future: Choosing the Better Pie” and the FSEC study that developed the data for the presentation, “Potential of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Savings To Impact Florida’s Projected Energy Use in 2014” may be downloaded using the links below:
Taking Charge of Our Energy Future (Powerpoint, 2 MB)
Potential of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (
pdf 1.4 MB, html)
Florida Solar Energy Center Selected to Lead Three National Research Programs
The Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) has been selected to receive more than $15 million from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) over a five-year period to conduct research in three major energy areas: fuel cells, industrialized housing, and building energy simulation.
FSEC, a research institute of the University of Central Florida (UCF), will lead nationwide teams of researchers from universities, DOE’s national laboratories and industry in the three projects. Read more
FSEC Director Testifies Before Florida Senate Committee on Communications and Public Utilities
Tallahassee, Florida, January 10, 2006: The state of Florida can save almost 25 trillion kilowatt hours of its projected 2014 energy use with consumer savings of $450 million by increasing the use of home energy efficiency and renewable energy systems, both of which are eligible for new federal tax credits.
That’s the message from Dr. James Fenton, Director of the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC), in a presentation he gave before the state’s Senate Committee on Communications and Public Utilities on January 10. Read more
State Releases "Florida's Energy Plan"
In response to an executive order issued by Governor Jeb Bush in November, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has released a comprehensive energy plan exploring options for future electric generating capacity, transportation fuel supply and conservation and efficiency initiatives. During the development of this plan, FSEC provided significant input to DEP, including a presentation to a Tallahassee energy forum in November by center director James Fenton.
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Florida GovenorJeb Bush |
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The plan includes a number of recommendations for conservation and efficiency measures relying on incentives and the government’s purchasing power rather than mandates and new taxes. It recommends that legislation be introduced this year to increase capacity and diversify the state’s electric generation and fuel supply.
DEP Secretary Colleen Castille noted in the plan’s executive summary that “An adequate, reliable, diverse, efficient and affordable energy
supply, coupled with a long-term commitment to energy conservation, is vital for maintaining Florida’s growing economy and quality of life.”
The recommendations in the plan include:
Electric Power Generation
Diversity
- Amend the Power Plant Siting Act and the Transmission Line Siting Act to reduce regulatory barriers, streamline permitting and reduce
processing time, while maintaining opportunities for public input and protecting the environment.
- Amend Chapter 403.519, Florida Statutes, to allow the Florida Public Service Commission to consider fuel diversity and fuel reliability
as factors when determining the need for new electric generation.
Conservation
- Expedite state performance contracting with Energy Service Companies, which could save Florida taxpayers more than $1 million each year.
- Require all new State government buildings to meet the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Environmental Design standards.
Minimal increases in upfront costs of two percent or less to support green design will result in life cycle savings of 20 percent of total construction costs — more than ten times the initial investment.
Economic Incentives
- Provide consumer and corporate rebates to encourage investments in solar technologies and ENERGY STAR appliances. The typical household spends $1,500 a year on energy bills. With ENERGY STAR, Florida’s residents could save up to 30 percent or more than $450 per year.
- Provide grant funding for renewable energy research and demonstration projects.
Transportation Fuels
Diversity
- Improve petroleum supply and distribution mechanisms into and within Florida. Expedite all State permits required to create redundancy and increase capacity.
- Before the 2006 hurricane season, register 10 percent of retail fueling stations in a generator sharing program to facilitate temporary power restoration and fuel availability in storm impacted areas.
Conservation
- Foster state-local partnerships to encourage well-designed transportation and transit systems between established communities and within new community developments.
Economic Incentives
- Provide corporate sales and income tax incentives to encourage the production of clean fuels in Florida and for pollution-free hydrogen fuel cells, vehicles and fueling infrastructure.
- Provide grant funding for applied research and demonstration projects associated with the development and implementation of alternative fuel vehicles and other emerging technologies.
For a copy of the complete plan, visit:
For a copy of the Energy plan chart, visit: http://www.dep.state.fl.us/secretary/news/2006/01/0117_01b.htm#energy_plan