Renewables in Lee County Florida

I start a new chapter in my blogging life. I started this blog to record my investigation into the alternate, renewable energy field. I live in Cape Coral, Florida and will concentrate my focus on local programs and reports.

I also will link to other sites outside our sunny state, that have good ideas applicable to our alternate energy development.

As far as I currently am aware, there are no forum or focus groups on my area that discuss and promote alternate energy.

Ray Judah, Lee County Commissioner who just won his bid for reelection, is involved with renewable energy programs and I have emailed him today to inquire about any forums in our area or to start one.

I found this report on the Lee County web site, Alternative_Energy_Proposal .

This is a hopeful step in the right direction. Part of my present concern is that with all the talk in political circles from the president elect on down to the local level, about alternate renewable energy production. There seems to be little taking place on the local level.

Here in Florida we have a solar insolation average of 5.62 in Miami. This means that we have an average of 5 solar hours a day available to all south Florida homes, and this carries about the same through out the state.

This alone is one renewable energy solution that could save our state billions of dollars that we now spend purchasing fuels from other states to energize our homes and businesses.

Solar water heating for water and building heating needs, and photovoltaics for electric production is a feasible solution for Florida.

There are at present a number of new solar plants in construction in Florida. I think these are part of our solution, but I see some limitations in these solutions. Each new solar plant built must also have a corresponding build up in the grid infrastructure to distribute these new energy producers. There are inherent power loses as this energy is distributed across the grid to the end consumers. If the grid goes down, as we have seen happen in many areas of the country in the last couple of decades, we lose this source of power.

I think the best solution utilizing solar is in consumer based energy production. Photovoltaics installed on the very buildings, (homes, schools, offices, stores, industrial), that use the electricity that is generated. This does not require any build up to the grid infrastructure, and enlists the consumer directly into this clean technology.

Present electrical generating utilities could operate programs that assists consumers in installing photovoltaic systems and thereby reduce the need for more electrical plants needing to be built. Either by directly funding photovoltaic installations, and/or purchasing the excess power generated by consumers' systems at retail prices.

I know that Lee County Electric Coop purchases its electric from Seminole Power generating utility. If this and other generating utilities in the state would use their capitol investment funds to fund consumer installed systems, it would benefit all in the short and long term.