Florida's largest electric utility conspired against solar power, documents show

[Zorro]

Rooftop solar, while critical to fighting climate change, is a threat to the traditional utility business model. So Florida Power & Light did something about it.

TALLAHASSEE — Rooftop solar power generation in Florida is still a nascent industry, but Florida Power & Light, the nation’s largest power company, is pushing to hamstring it — by writing and hand-delivering legislation the company asked state lawmakers to introduce, according to records obtained by the Miami Herald and Floodlight.

FPL, whose work with dark-money political committees helped to secure Republican control of the state Senate in the 2020 elections, asked state Sen. Jennifer Bradley to sponsor its top-priority bill: legislation that would hobble rooftop solar by preventing homeowners and businesses from offsetting their costs by selling excess power back to the company, an arrangement known as net metering.

Records from the Florida Senate show that FPL drafted the bill, and lobbyist John Holley delivered it to Bradley, R-Fleming Island, and FPL’s parent company followed up with a $10,000 contribution to her political committee. Bradley filed the bill in November. A week later, state Rep. Lawrence McClure, R-Plant City, introduced an identical version in the House.

Only about 90,000 Florida customers, about 1 percent of the state’s more than 8.5 million customers, sell excess energy back to the electrical grid, but the arrangement has driven significant rooftop solar expansion in Florida. The proposed legislation could seriously curtail that growth. FPL is pushing for it as Florida’s biggest utility — it has 5.5 million customers, about 65 percent of the state. Duke has 2 million customers, followed by TECO with 800,000 and then many other smaller utilities.

https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2021/12/20/floridas-largest-electric-utility-conspired-against-solar-power-documents-show/

[OldBaldy1701E]

1. No, really?

A corporation has used it considerable wealth to make sure it has no competition? Well, I am shocked!

(Worse, like so many industries in this country that are now all but obsolete, the central power grid owners are going to fight any attempt to progress with everything in their arsenal. The issue is, why do they have an 'arsenal'? Why are these vultures being given preferred status? Rhetorical question, I am well aware of the answer.)

[Probatim]

3. Well, unions fund their sochalissed agenda too...

Do I really need the sarcasm emoji here?

[cbabe]

2. With Miami drowning? 'Bad boys, bad boys. Where you gonna run to?'