The solar energy system rebates are issued by the Florida Energy & Climate Commission pursuant to Sections 377.801-377.806, Florida Statutes, and Chapter 27N-1, Florida Administrative Code, contingent upon an annual appropriation by the Legislature of the State of Florida for the specific purpose of funding solar rebates. Rebates can only be issued if funding is available. There is no Guarantee of Funding.

• The Energy Office has recently ramped up staffing to deal with the thousands of solar rebate applications received to date.

• The initial $5 million Federal Stimulus Allocation from the State Energy Program (SEP) Funds has been received and expended.

• The $9.4 million from the Federal Stimulus Allocation from the Energy Efficiency & Conservation Block Grant was denied by the Department of Energy.

• On September 29, 2009, the Florida Energy & Climate Commission (FECC) reallocated $9.4 million from the SunSmart School Program to the Solar Rebate Program.

• Total funding for the Solar Rebate Program for fiscal year 2009-2010 . . . $14.4 million.

• Since July 1, 2008, a total of 4,780 solar rebate applications have been approved and are being processed for payment representing approximately $12.2 million.

• The remaining balance as of October 16, 2009, according to the Energy Office’s website is $2.2 million.

• The Energy Office is currently processing applications from May 2009.

• The Energy Office updates the website every Friday.

• The Energy Office has approximately 4,570 solar rebate applications remaining to be processed and continues to process them daily.

• The Energy Office receives on average approximately 40-50 solar rebate applications daily.

• The Energy Office finds approximately 30% of the solar rebate applications rejected for insufficient information (these are returned to the applicant for completion) or found to be ineligible for the program.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation Sunday that will create a European-style above-market tariff, called a feed-in tariff, for small solar-panel generators.

California’s abundant sunshine, relatively high utility rates and solar subsidies have already made the state one of the world’s top solar markets. The proposal seeks to expand the market by requiring California utilities to buy power from solar-panel generators of 1.5-3.0 megawatts in size, at set rates above what the utilities would pay for wholesale power from conventional sources.

Some solar companies said the bill’s pricing scheme would create a feed-in tariff of about 15 to 17 cents a kilowatt-hour, which they said wouldn’t be high enough to spur significant investment. But others said the program would create opportunities for lower-cost projects for which there isn’t currently a market.

Supporters of the legislation, including the California Solar Energy Industries Association, said the bill’s feed-in tariff will be high enough for schools, local governments, farms, warehouses and other low-cost property owners to take advantage of it.

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The main measure of solar system performance is energy production. Understanding what factors affect the solar array energy production may be helpful in determining optimum performance. The factors include: Amount of Sunlight, Ambient Temperature, Orientation of Solar Array Surface, Tilt Angle of Solar Array, Voltage Drop in Wiring, Inverter Efficiency in Power Conversion, Obstructions Which Shade Solar Array, Dust, Dirt, Leaves etc. on Solar Array Surface. If you have any questions regarding these factors please feel free to use this blog as an avenue to post and discuss these topics. I will do my best to provide you with accurate information in a timely manner.
Pure Energy Solar,
Director of Engineering

Wayne Irwin of Pure Energy Solar works on the Inverter bank at Akria Wood in Gainesville, Florida.

Roof Top of Akria Wood.