Based on current deployment rates, it is likely that solar will surpass wind as the third-largest source of electricity. And solar may soon topple coal in the number two spot.
Looking ahead, through July 2028, FERC expects no new coal capacity to come online based on its “high probability additions” forecast. Meanwhile 63 coal plants are expected to be retired, subtracting 25 GW from the 198 GW total, and landing at about 173 GW of coal capacity by 2028. Meanwhile, FERC forecasts 92.6 GW of “high probability additions” solar will come online through July 2028.
Hell. In Florida, FPL is the electric provider, and they are fighting tooth and nail to keep people from installing solar on houses… In Florida, we would have almost free electric for everyone if all houses could install panels…
But FPL lobbied our GOP legislature and force anyone with solar to have a million dollar insurance policy payable to FPL in case something happens. Also got regulations passed to bar home windstorm insurance if any panels are bolted to the roof. So if you have panels, no hurricane insurance for you…and the mortgage holder gets to put their expensive policy on your home.
Fuck FPL
To be fair, Florida building codes are pretty much static electricity holding cardboard together.
Florida has some of the strictest building codes in the United States due to the hurricane and flooding risks.
May I ask the source of your comment?
My father ran a small construction company in Ontario, he was asked to manage building a few house for a client in Florida and at the time, the codes were a complete joke compared to Canada, closer to what we grade as seasonal cottages. This likely had recently changed, only because people can’t even get storm insurance any more. Then there’s the 5,400 trailer parks in Florida. Ontario has 14, seasonal use only.
You couldn’t just have “free electricity for everyone” by having solar panels on your houses lol. Where’s the power being stored?
Bad phrasing. There are power walls for home use and FPL is still available.
My point is that Florida could use solar as 1 prong on the challenge to provide clean, green energy but FPL must deliver profit to it’s shareholders and will fight that effort
As soon as solar panels and batteries are involved it’s not “clean, green energy” though. I have no idea how people ate that lie.
Solar panels don’t grow on trees. They’re not made from renewable sources. They require mass amounts of mining and coal/gas created energy to make, and they last 10-20 years max. They’re not recyclable either because it costs more to recycle them than it does to make a new one.
Batteries are even worse.
Still less than the competitors
Widely distributed solar + nuclear produces a generation curve that matches demand better than any other combination, minimizing battery or dirty on-demand generation needs.
💯
Nuclear + solar is the only way to truly make it work. Unfortunately the “nuclear bad” message that’s spread by the “renewables” people are going to put us trillions of dollars and decades behind in getting there.
There are many orders in NA for SMR reactors. A fraction of China, but they are happening.
only because we choose to use coal and gas. This circular argument is old.
No, because we have no alternative. Mining equipment and machines can’t run on wind and solar.
Yes, FPL has done a lot to prevent rooftop solar, but calling it “almost free” is not correct. Rooftop solar still comes with significant upfront costs. The weather of Florida degrades panels quicker with non-trivial odds of hurricane damage. Finally, Southwestern states receive much more solar irradiance.
If you are willing to be pragmatic and want solar in Florida, FPL’s solar together program is your best option. Like it or not, utility grade solar is 1/3 the LCOE.