Solar Panels

The impact of solar technology

How Solar Panels Work

Solar panels are designed to absorb and convert the sun's rays into electricity. They are built
out of solar cells which are made of that crystalline silicon, polysilicon and monocrystalline
silicon. The solar panels are attached by a wire to a DC-AC inverter which converts direct
current to alternating current.

Environmentally Friendly
Sunlight is a complete renewable resource, unlike oil, natural gas, and coal. Generating your
own electricity using solar panels reduces or eliminates your consumption of fossil fuels,
therefore minimizing the emission of pollutants and greenhouse gases. CO2 is one of several
greenhouse gases that is a principal culprit for global warming. Investing in solar energy is
one way to limit your CO2 emissions. Over the insured lifespan of a typical solar system, the
system can counterbalance 250,000 pounds of CO2. This is equivalent to offsetting over
150,000 miles driven by the average car, or planting 21,700 square feet of trees!

Why are solar panels becoming popular?

In recent years electricity rates have skyrocketed. Investing in solar panels allows you to
create your own electricity, instead of relying on electric companies. It allows you to solidify
your electric rate at a fraction of todays electric costs, and leaves you unaffected by future
rate increases. If you produce electricity you dont use you can sell it back to the electric
companies. Its also worth noting that investing in solar power reduces the nation's
dependency on foreign oils. Every year we are transferring billions of dollars to foreign
countries, many of which have connections to financing global terrorism. Using solar panels is
a renewable and safe alternative to oil and coal.

Financial Benefits
Going solar has a plethora of financial benefits. With a solar panel system you are generating
free power over your systems 25-30 year life span. Even if you dont produce all the energy
you consume, your utility bills will be drastically reduced. On the other hand if you produce
more energy then you need you can sell it back to the electric company. In other words youre
making money off of free solar energy! In addition, energy prices are always fluctuating
making it nearly impossible to manage your electricity budget. With solar energy you
minimise or eliminate your dependence on the electric company making your energy
spendings much more predictable and manageable.

Electric Companies Influence on

Regulations and Policies
Transitioning to solar energy is a no brainer so when thousands of people convert it makes
electric companies extremely unhappy. Theyre unhappy because every kilowatt of solar
power you yield on your own is one less kilowatt the electric companies can sell you. These
electric companies are used to having all the power (no pun intended) so when people find a
renewable, clean energy source that is easily accessible they call on their government friends
to fix their problem. Florida is a clear example of how electric companies are tipping the
scale.

The Sunshine State Stuck in the Shadows

Florida, being the sunshine state and all, should be the top producer of solar energy right? On
the contrary. Sadly Florida lawmakers are siding with the state's largest utility companies:
Florida Power & Light, Gulf Power, Tampa Electric (TECO), and Duke Energy. State lawmakers
and lobbyists claim that anyone who has attempted to encourage solar industry growth has
been ostracized and seen their proposals shot down. The reason being is because these four
companies have invested heavily in state political campaigns to repel competition from solar
system companies.

Domino Affect of Dollars

The proof is in the pudding. An analysis of campaign records by the Florida Center for
Investigative Reporting shows that the utility companies have plunged $12 million into
campaigns of state lawmakers since 2010. Governor Rick Scotts 2014 re-election campaign
received more than $1.1 million from electric companies. Now chew on this, only a fragment of
the $12 million actually went to the candidates themselves. The money trickles down the
system first dropping $6.68 million into the Republican Party of Florida, then dumping $1.8
million into the Democratic party. The money that is left is generously fed to Florida
Legislators averaging $1,000 bucks per person. So when you really think about it who would
want to miss out on all that free cash?

Solar Supporters
The free money has a catch. The politicians are expected to have the utility companies best
interest in hand. Its easy. Support and protect the companies and you get money. Dont?
Then you're missing out on bookoo bucks. This is why solar energy is meeting legal resistance.
No politician wants to get on the utility companies bad side. State Representative Dwight
Duley believes the utility companies campaign donations have kept pro-solar legislations
from gaining momentum in Florida Legislature. Many fear being outcasted for not supporting
these companies and rightfully so. Their money has formed quite the following.

On the flip side

As Florida slowly warms up to solar energy other states have embraced it. California, the
leading producer in solar power has made solar energy a priority. They have created what is
known as solar incentives to encourage their citizens to go solar. These solar incentives can
range from solar tax credits, premium feed in tariffs, to upfront solar rebates. Two towns in
California has also took solar power to the next level by requiring new buildings to have solar
panels. Sebastapol and Landcasters new buildings now must be equipped with a solar
system that produces at least 75% of the structures electricity needs.

California
1.

vs.

2,336 solar companies that employ

Florida
1.

75,600 people

425 solar companies that employ

6,600 people

2.

3,266 MW of solar power produced

2.

41 MW of solar produced

3.

Ranked the #1 producer of solar power

3.

Ranked the 16th producer of solar

nation wide
4.

$7.268 billion invested into solar energy

power nation wide

4.

$105 million invested into solar energy

Utility Companies vs. Customer Owned Solar

Power
As discussed before, utility companies have not been solar energy's biggest fan. Their latest
jab at solar system owners has been bombarding them with excessive fees and charges. The
majority of electric companies have chosen to fight their customers rather than accommodate
customer owned solar energy. Many believe that the companies see renewable energy as an
opportunity, but have no idea how to make a business around it. In Arizona, utility companies
are forcing fees on independent solar energy producers as a way to recoup their lost revenue.
In over half of the U.S. states, utilities have introduced regulatory or legislative advances to
slow or stop independant solar power production.

Conclusion
In closing I recommend all legislators should support solar industry growth. We can start by
encouraging individuals and companies to use solar systems by offering incentives as well as
mandate usage especially for high electricity consumers. It is up to us to start thinking about
our future and stop the rising CO2 levels. We can do this by encouraging individuals and
companies to invest in solar energy.

Bibliography
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"5 Reasons Utilities Are Hating On Their Solar-Producing Customers." CleanTechnica. N.p., 2015. Web. 05 May 2016.
"In Sunshine State, Big Energy Blocks Solar Power." Florida Center for Investigative Reporting. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 May
2016
Green, Miranda. The Daily Beast. Newsweek/Daily Beast, n.d. Web. 05 May 2016.
"How Do Solar Systems Produce Energy?" NW Wind & Solar. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 May 2016.
"Florida Solar." SEIA. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 May 2016.
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"Get the Facts About Solar Energy - How Does Solar Energy Work?" Solar Energy Facts. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 May 2016.
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TheHuffingtonPost.com, n.d. Web. 05 May 2016.
"Why Are These U.S. States Fighting Solar Power? -- The Motley Fool." The Motley Fool. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 May 2016.