Local governments throughout the Sunshine State are taking advantage of one of Florida’s most abundant natural resources by installing solar panels on their buildings and properties.
But Naples isn’t one of them, at least not yet.
Dana Souza, director of community services for Naples, said his department is exploring the possibilities of solar power. His primary focus is to ensure that any solar projects would be financially beneficial, he said.
“We don’t want to (install solar panels) simply for the sake of demonstrating solar,” Souza said. “We want a return on our investment so we can see a reasonable reduction on electric costs.”
The city conducted a solar power study in 2015 but found the cost of the solar panels outweighed the money the city would save on its electric bill, Souza said.
City officials also considered partnering with Florida Power & Light Co. last year as part of the company’s SolarNow program but once again had concerns that doing so wouldn’t be in the city’s best interest.
“In the SolarNow program, the electric would go back to FPL, not the city,” Souza said. “So there would be no tie back to reducing electrical costs.”
Souza said he plans to study other city governments in the state, such as Satellite Beach in Brevard County, that have successfully made the move toward solar power.
How other cities use solar power
The Satellite Beach City Council unanimously approved the installation of 232 SunPower solar panels atop its City Hall and adjacent civic center in May.
Officials estimated the project will pay for itself in 17.7 years and the city will save $247,955 in electric bills over 25 years, according to previous reporting.
The city also plans to convert all municipal buildings to solar power within the next two decades, with City Hall and the public works building running entirely on solar energy by 2022.
Satellite Beach is just one of many municipalities throughout Florida shifting toward solar. In May, officials announced a groundbreaking deal called the Florida Municipal Solar Project, which will bring solar power to 12 municipalities from Jacksonville Beach to Key West.
The municipal utilities that are part of the partnership are in Alachua, Bartow, Fort Pierce, Homestead, Jacksonville Beach, Key West, Kissimmee, Lake Worth, Ocala, Orlando, Wauchula and Winter Park.
The municipalities will receive solar power from three “solar farms” that will be built in Orange and Osceola counties.
Unfortunately, Naples doesn’t have enough land for a solar farm, Souza said, so solar panels would have to be installed on the roofs of government buildings, some of which have limited space or other logistical challenges.
“On City Hall we have the AC unit on the roof, so that reduces the number of panels we can install,” Souza said. “Right now we’re looking at the buildings on Riverside Circle, but again, we’re in the very early stages of this process.”
The city still is trying to complete other projects that were either spurred or delayed by Hurricane Irma, he said.
Solar popularity grows among SWFL businesses
Meanwhile, businesses throughout Southwest Florida have begun embracing solar power.
Last year the Naples Zoo joined FPL’s SolarNow program and installed more than 700 solar panels in its parking lot to generate at least 200 kilowatts of power, enough to power 200 classrooms.
In East Naples, businessman Jim Henderson — the sole owner of William C. Huff Cos., a moving and storage company — installed a solar system big enough to power his company’s warehouse, which has 44,000 square feet of space.
Henderson also is building steel solar-powered homes to help alleviate the county’s affordable housing crisis. According to Henderson, the solar panels on the roof will produce more power than the home needs, enabling its owners to send energy back to the power grid and greatly reduce their monthly electric bill.
“Nobody really cares about energy efficiency,” he told the Naples Daily News in May. “Electricity is cheap, so they don’t worry about it. That’s one of the things that really bugs me.”
