If you’re a registered voter in the state of Florida, there’s an important constitutional amendment on the ballot this November. You’ve probably heard about Amendment 1 and know that it has to do with solar energy. What you don’t know is that even if you aren’t a solar user yourself, this amendment will help protect your friends and neighbors when they do choose to make the switch to solar.
As it stands, Florida residents have the ability to install solar panels onto their homes, but this freedom is threatened by out of state interests. Rather than buying your panels outright, there is a huge push for homeowners to lease panels at no upfront cost. Initially, that sounds like a great solution for all involved. However, these greedy companies are locking residents into lengthy leases with rates that rise year after year. Eventually, the use of solar power will actually cost more than sticking to traditional energy useage.
What Amendment 1 does is place stipulations directly into the Florida state constitution to make sure that these third party companies are left out of the equation. Not only does Amendment 1 benefit those who choose to utilize solar, but it also protects those who don’t. From time to time solar users do need to draw on back up energy, and when that happens, non-solar users won’t have to be the ones to pay for that usage.
The approval of Amendment 1 will grease the tracks for solar to enter into Florida in a big way. Surprisingly, the sunshine state isn’t even in the top 10% of states that generate solar power, so this amendment would prove to be a big step forward. Make sure when you vote in November that you think about the ramifications for yourself and your fellow Floridians, and choose wisely on Amendment 1.
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