Consumers for Smart Solar is kicking off its campaign for a constitutional amendment. The organization has placed the provision on November’s ballot despite critics arguing it will undermine a nascent solar industry.
Proponents of a utility-backed solar amendment deny allegations their effort is built on stifling solar. Consumers for Smart Solar board member Screven Watson claims the proposal is aimed at protecting Floridians from predatory companies.
“These companies want to use the grid to buy and sell electricity and pay nothing to maintain it,” he says. “They want their costs of grid use to be paid by those who do not choose solar.”
But the amendment doesn’t require third-party solar providers to pay fees for maintaining the electric grid.
What’s more, nothing in current law prohibits Floridians from purchasing and using solar panels. But Watson says governments are fickle, and a constitutional amendment will keep them from restricting rights in the future.
“More school tests, less school tests. More guns, less guns. More red light cameras, less red light cameras,” Watson says. “This amendment will allow for the future there will be no less solar for people who want to own their own solar panels—that’s why it’s important to put this in the constitution.
But while the amendment guarantees a personal right to solar, critics’ worries center on what it could mean for the industry. Third-party solar companies argue the amendment’s language could make it difficult for them to enter the market.
