My name is Monica Kennedy. I'm a USGBC LEED Accredited Professional and owner of Elite Solar Services in Sarasota. On behalf of all construction workers in the State of Florida that want to get back to work and the Florida Alliance for Renewable Energy, we'd like the Florida Public Service Commission to use all of the knowledge you've worked so hard to get in these renewable energy workshops you've been in over the last year and make it pay off by crafting a Feed-in-Tariff Policy (FIT) for the state of Florida that works and becomes a model for the rest of the country. Setting a policy where a utility is obligated to pay you for your renewable energy plus a reasonable profit is the solution for many problems we face. The FPL rate increase won't help these construction workers in the short term who are suffering the highest unemployment rate of their lifetimes and moving back in with their parents in Northern states. Lori White, the Superintendent of Schools in Sarasota says that 100 students a month are leaving the school system and Sarasota is faring better than other counties. But If you announce during this long, hot summer that you're putting together a well crafted Feed –in-Tariff policy for the legislature to debate and pass in 2010 that could bring large amounts of jobs whose skill sets exactly match those of these fleeing Floridians, they might just be able to hang in until fall which will keep our teachers and public servants employed also. The Plumbers, electricians, roofers and engineers that have been sitting in their tool belts waiting for the phone to ring are leaving Florida by the truckloads. Let's keep them here to install solar on roofs of farms, churches and businesses that can profit from the energy they generate. The Feed in Tariff Policy works well for so many European communities and created 250,000 jobs in Germany – and the Gainesville story is a success. The FIT will make good jobs NOW, not 10 years from now like the nuclear plant or jobs for 10 minutes like the 3 huge arrays out in a field like the ones FPL is building. The National Renewable Energy Labs study http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy09osti/45549.pdf proves that a Feed-in-Tariff is the quickest way to deploy renewable energy and at the lowest cost to the ratepayer. You have the proof. Small scale distributed generation is the solution for us all! This is a budget neutral policy that both sides of the aisle can get behind and requires no taxpayer dollars.
The Navigant Study commissioned for the PSC is dated. Since then the price of solar technology has come down 25% so far in 2009 and unemployment has surpassed the worst case scenario. It's time to revisit Feed-in-Tariff and formulate a renewable energy policy that puts the Sunshine State at the top of the renewable energy revolution. Right now, according to Solar Planet, Florida isn't even in the top 10 solar friendly states. We know that FP&Light is one of the greenest utilities in the country but they need a model for small scale solar or solar on every roof.
The sun belongs to everyone. The new American dream is to get off the grid. A Feed in Tariff allows EVERYONE to participate. The opportunity to get the $1 trillion of private sector cash sitting in money market funds of private investors put into OUR Florida economy is fleeting. This money was in intangible assets like stocks and bonds and is now seeking a safe, physical investment with a reasonable rate of return. These investment dollars are fungible and will easily cross borders to the state that passes the Feed in Tariff first. Or even CANADA! It's a race. Jennifer Granholm in MI is this close to passing one up there. Do you really want all of these investment dollars going up there along with the workers who will fly to wherever a Feed in Tariff is passed first?
. Florida is one of the last states to even pass a Renewable Portfolio Standard? http://www.epa.gov/chp/state-policy/renewable_fs.html (notice no other state included NUCLEAR in their standards as Florida attempted to do last session)
We are being left in the dust when it comes to renewable energy despite what this one green utility is doing. Solar on Every Roof goes against the monopolistic FPL model but they'll adapt and make money; they always do and that's fine. Let us all make a little money. Create a new industry for Florida. That's what you'll be doing. We know you don't pass the laws but we want you to get ready for it because you'll have to make it work. Be our heroes. This could be a $14 million a year industry that could dwarf citrus and even tourism. That's what we need to get this state out of the muck. By the way, you'll be increasing our national security, energy independence and reducing our carbon footprint. I mean this is what the President wants, the Governor wants and most importantly what the people you represent want. Be Florida's HERO and prepare and recommend a fantastic Feed in Tariff policy for passage in Tallahassee in 2010. Thank you.
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