Florida’s Need for Solar Technologies on the Rise

Though the cause may still be heavily debated, there is no doubt the climate is changing. Already, Florida’s coastlines are feeling the repercussions, and it won’t be long before drastic measures need implementing.

One of the latest problems was found in Miami, where the rising sea levels are posing a threat to traditional energy grids, and in some cases, they are already taking damage. Hurricanes and other natural phenomenon in Florida have always made it difficult for large scale technology to flourish, but now, coastal tech is even more at risk.

The Union of Concerned Scientists recently released a study which found that a Category 3 hurricane could produce a storm surge large enough to dismantle a sixth of South Florida’s electrical substations. This number jumps to a third of the substations when factoring in the rising sea levels, and by 2070, storm surges could bring water far enough inland to take out half of South Florida’s power.

This is a problem with pending consequences, and it’s up to state officials to think about long term solutions that might help cities like Miami avoid future crises. One way to do that is by developing new, clean energy technologies like those being developed overseas.

United Utilities is a water company working toward building Europe’s largest floating solar energy system near Manchester, hoping the new tech will help cut costs. With a total of 12,000 panels, it will surpass the current largest of 800 panels, and it will cost roughly $5.5 million to install.

The idea of a floating solar energy installation is something Florida could easily adopt in coming years, given that $2 billion has been invested in simply fortifying the existing system that is now at risk. There are plenty of avenues for expanding Florida’s solar industry, and now that traditional systems are at risk from the elements, why doesn’t the state turn to solar?