A New #1 For Solar - Florida’s Solar Surge
Bottom Line: The sunshine state is finally the leading solar state. Quietly over the past year Florida accomplished something you might not expect: Florida’s stealing California’s thunder in the solar game. For the first time on record, the Sunshine State is outpacing the Golden State in new solar power, and it’s not just a flash in the pan.
Florida’s Solar Boom is Real. In 2024, Florida added over 3 gigawatts of utility-scale solar—more than California, the poster child for green energy. That’s enough to new solar to power 750,000 to 890,000 homes across the state. FPL led the charge, building 70% of the state’s new solar. This isn’t about rooftop panels; its big utility projects driving the growth. FPL’s 30 by 30 plan, which is now in year six, has been a tremendous success and is currently running ahead of schedule. For you, this means cheaper electricity could be on the way as solar becomes a bigger slice of Florida’s energy pie.
Money is driving renewable energy. The economics of energy conversion are providing a tailwind for solar. Solar has been consistently cheaper than natural gas and it’s proven itself through storm season too. Places like Babcock Ranch, a solar-powered town, prove it works. During Hurricane Ian in 2022, their microgrid kept the lights on while others went dark. That proof of concept has led to greater confidence that solar can be at least as reliable during extreme adversity as traditional energy sources. Similarly, FPL’s existing solar sites have fared well during the impact of hurricanes in recent years.
On the back of FPL’s massive solar gains over the past year, leading Florida to the top spot in solar, over 7% of all energy provided within the state is now derived from solar power with increases coming much more quickly. There’s also every indication that recent trends will continue, meaning Florida’s likely to continue to lead with way with solar adaptation for the foreseeable future.
As we’ve seen, the far more efficient path for scaling solar is through the utilities as opposed to rooftop solar. With the federal government rolling back solar tax credits and deductions, that will continue to be the case.