Written by Solar industry advocates in Florida are forecasting a mostly sunny future with just a few uncertainties after voters failed to approve a constitutional amendment supported by big utilities in a bitter election battle.
A sign of the increased confidence was an announcement on Dec. 1 by SolarCity, the nation’s largest installer, of plans to expand its operations into Florida.
“The industry is evolving almost as rapidly as cell phones these days,” said Ray Johnson, president and founder of Fort Lauderdale-based Florida Solar One, one of Solar Power World magazine’s 500 most influential solar contractors in North America in 2015. “Solar panels are priced at an all-time low and are now 500 percent cheaper than they were eight years ago.”
Interest is also being driven by improvements in storage technology and electronics that control and regulate electricity flows, growing demand for electric vehicle charging stations and “smart home” technology. Another lift came from the federal government’s extension through 2019 of a 30-percent tax credit for solar installations, Johnson said.
“Many of the modern custom home builders are contacting us to professionally engineer these highly specialized and advanced home electrical systems and the pace of these inquiries has never been higher,” he said.
Read Full Article here
andconcm.com 