March 18th, 2010 () Clean Energy, Energy Efficiency, Media Roundup, Utilities › Guest Post › 3 Comments
State House Rep. Joe Gibbons - Photo: Tallahassee Democrat
Rep. Joe Gibbons has kindly allowed us to reprint his published essay. He addresses the critical need that low-income utility customers have for expanded energy efficiency programs. As demonstrated in a recent study by Florida Power & Light , low-income residents participate in energy efficiency programs at the [...]
February 2nd, 2010 () Clean Energy, Energy Efficiency, Utilities › Tom Larson › No Comments
The Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) just set goals for electric energy efficiency well below targets set—and achieved—by other states, but not surprisingly, several FEECA utilities filed objections seeking still lower goals.
Earlier, we reviewed the goals and outlined why the PSC’s targets were as weak as they were—but still the utilities want to aim even lower. Progress, FP&L, Gulf and [...]
December 9th, 2009 () Clean Energy, Energy Efficiency, Utilities › Tom Larson › 2 Comments
The PSC meeting last week was marked by two dramatic changes for Florida electric utilities. Utility-oriented commissioner Carter was succeeded as chair for 2010-2012 by the far more consumer-oriented commissioner, Nancy Argenziano. In remarks made while nominating Ms. Argenziano, Chairman Carter said, “. . . she answered the call to leadership.” But in the same meeting in which new electricity conservation [...]
November 4th, 2009 () Energy Efficiency, Media Roundup, Utilities › John D. Wilson › 2 Comments
Next week, a former editorial board editor is one of five Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) members who will direct Florida’s major utilities to pursue energy efficiency efforts over the next five years. Will we get more of the same, as the utilities and the Commission staff suggest, or will Florida take a step towards [...]
October 26th, 2009 () Clean Energy › Dr. Stephen A. Smith › 10 Comments
President Obama is visiting DeSoto County, Florida today to headline the opening ceremony of the largest solar photovoltaic (PV) facility in the country. This must signal that Florida is on its way to a clean energy future, right?
Well, not so fast. The facility is certainly a testament to the vital role renewable energy should play [...]
October 21st, 2009 () Energy Efficiency, Utilities › John D. Wilson › 1 Comment
This post is co-authored by Brandi Colander, NRDC, and John D. Wilson, SACE.
Florida is the dim bulb in the otherwise efficiency-dark Southeast, and the 2009 Energy Efficiency Scorecard from ACEEE shows how badly its electric utilities are dragging Florida’s ranking down. Slipping from 19th to 23rd in the country in a much-improved study, the impact [...]
October 14th, 2009 () Energy Efficiency, High Risk Energy, Nuclear, Utilities › Dr. Stephen A. Smith › No Comments
Last Wednesday, the St. Petersburg Times recognized the “Powerful Savings” available to Florida by investing in conservation. Yet the chief obstacle to conservation remains Florida’s commitment to overinvest in nuclear power. Even if the utilities had not biased their efficiency analysis with nonsensical limitations, their assumption that unlicensed nuclear reactors would be built on schedule [...]
October 8th, 2009 () Energy Efficiency, Green Economy › John D. Wilson › No Comments
Will Florida have a smart, fair decision on energy efficiency? Or will base rates go up and nothing be done to help the consumer?
And will someone please explain to me how a 1% reduction in customer energy use over ten years will provide any meaningful offset to a 31% increase in base rates?
While media coverage [...]
September 22nd, 2009 () Clean Energy, Energy Efficiency, High Risk Energy, Miscellaneous, Utilities › Dr. Stephen A. Smith › 3 Comments
It has been a great disappointment but not a surprise to watch the veil of utility regulation pulled back in Florida. The Florida Public Service Commission is the state agency entrusted with regulating Florida’s largest electric utilities. This responsibility requires that they balance the desire of the regulated utilities to maximize their shareholders profit with [...]
April 21st, 2009 () Clean Energy, Coal, Nuclear › Colin Hagan › No Comments
Georgia Public Service Commissioner Stan Wise has already demonstrated that he is uninformed about the state’s renewable energy potential, and I guess today he thought he would remind us. Commissioner Wise’s pessimistic outlook on a clean energy future shows that he doesn’t have the vision necessary to bring our energy infrastructure into the 21st Century, [...]