Organizers of a Florida Energy Summit convening in Orlando on Thursday say they aim to "educate policymakers and citizens on the urgency of clean energy."
One key target audience is the Florida Legislature, which summiteers hope will finally enact a renewable-energy bill.
Those hopes were energized when Senate President-designate Mike Haridopolis agreed to moderate a series of panel discussions at the daylong forum.
Amid calls for a special legislative session this summer, the Florida Energy Summit could be instrumental in setting the agenda. But, as the 2010 Legislature demonstrated, not everyone is on the same page when it comes to renewable power.
While big investor-owned utilities (IOUs), such as Florida Power & Light Co. and Progress Energy, seek legislation to further their large solar initiatives, smaller companies and municipalities are pushing biomass ventures.
Summit organizers profess to be agnostic in this debate, but the IOUs have had the upper hand in Tallahassee. Whether they call the shots in Orlando on Thursday remains to be seen.
"The key phrase to listen for is 'avoided costs,'" said one industry observer. "What will the IOUs agree to pay (alternative) power producers?"
While the big utilities maneuver for a renewal of 2008 legislation to pave the way for more large solar complexes, biomass proponents want IOUs to pay more for new power generated from waste at landfills.
"Avoided cost" formulas are determined by the Public Service Commission, which has come under fire from Haridopolos and other Republican leaders in the fractious policy debate over renewables.
Competing studies, some of which will be aired at the Orlando summit, have fueled one side or the other. Where some researchers tout the benefits of solar ventures, others point to greater job creation and environmental benefits at small-scale biomass generators.
"With similar (2008) legislation or a requirement that utilities gradually increase the amount of electricity they generate from renewable sources, FPL could launch several new renewable energy projects across the state right away, which would bring thousands of new jobs and more cutting-edge, commercial-scale solar power to Florida," FPL spokeswoman Jackie Anderson told Sunshine State News.
"We have already identified potential sites where more than 500 additional megawatts of solar power could be built quickly for an average cost of less than $1 a month on the typical residential customers monthly bill over the life of the projects (30 years) to pay for construction and operation."
Citizens for Clean Energy, a nonprofit group that is organizing the conference, was launched by four Florida-based, solar-oriented organizations: Advanced Green Technologies, Global Energy United, Hypower and Kitson & Partners.
"We are committed to working with state and national leaders in fostering an environment that welcomes and encourages investment, innovation, development and growth, and seeks to work with other businesses and entities committed to the same principles," the group stated on its Web site.
The "Citizens" might have added: "And the devil is in the details."
For more information on the summit, including registration, click here.
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Contact Kenric Ward at kward@sunshinestatenews.com or at (772) 801-5341.
