Jacksonville Could Pick Up the Solar Torch in Florida

Solar is still very cost-competitive with electricity when it comes to Jacksonville, Florida. But that’s not to say solar doesn’t exist there. In fact, a steady rise in interest and investment has been seen in the northeast corner of the Sunshine State, and it could help drive the price of solar down.

One of the biggest reasons Jacksonville hasn’t hit the maps in the way of solar is because it didn’t economically make sense. For a long time, solar power equipment wasn’t getting enough backing to keep engineers working at making it inexpensive. But that didn’t deter everyone from the industry, and several years of investments have begun to pay off both for consumers and engineers. Post-recession costs of solar panels are lower than ever, and the benefits are finally beginning to outweigh the cost.

Additionally, Jacksonville was ranked by Environment America as the U.S. city with the 13th highest number of full-home solar capacity, which means among all Florida cities, Jacksonville could have the highest potential for successful solar. A number of alternative energy parties have made note of such potential and have begun to invest in the direction the industry is headed.

Slowly, initiatives have been put forward to introduce solar alternatives to Jacksonville communities without the need for individual investments in solar equipment. Subscriptions may come into play to tap into local solar gardens planted throughout the city. This could help bridge the gap between public utility costs and the cost of private solar panels until solar energy equipment is sufficiently reduced in price. However, the potential for residential solar rooftops and private solar grids is too great for some to ignore, and as the expansion of solar sweeps the state, Jacksonville isn’t certainly due to be swept up in the industry.