Greater Miami To Launch $550 Million Energy Retrofit Fund; Billions In Unfunded Projects Wait Nationwide  Forbes,April 27, 2012- When I last dedicated a post to property assessed clean energy (PACE) programs, in January, I described how, with the residential PACE market stalled, project developers and financiers had collaborated to establish a commercial market.On April 12, a vote by the Miami City Commission authorizing the city to join the South Florida Green Corridor District brought one of the commercial PACE collaborations much closer to fruition.

Lugar Rural Energy Amendment Passed by Senate Agriculture Committee  April 26, 2012-Sen. Dick Lugar (R-IN) commended Agricultural Committee adoption of the rural energy amendment he offered with Senator Kent Conrad (D-ND) in today’s farm bill markup.

Governor, Energy Bill: Put Power In Florida's Economy  April 8, 2012-Florida is rich in a variety of energy resources. While it is not an oil state within the boundaries of its land, Florida has renewable energy — solar, biomass and more — with potential that should be explored.

Florida Tea Party Rallies Against Renewable Energy Bills  The Florida legislature is frustrating Tea Partiers and grassroots conservatives by fast-tracking legislation that would ramp up taxpayer subsidies to Solyndra-style renewable power projects.

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam who directs the Florida Energy Office present his energy proposal for 2012 legislature before the Florida House Energy Committee Jan 12, 2012

The Lights are on, people are in...They are saving energy and money and that is just the beginning.  West Palm Beach, Fla., April 10, 2012-The Town of Lantana recently approved the first-ever commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program in the state of Florida. A first-of-its-kind, the Florida Green Energy Works Program provides property owners the ability to purchase and install energy efficient and renewable energy technologies through innovative financing alternatives.

Power-generating wind turbines might rise near Belle Glade  January 3, 2012-Towering turbines that spin to provide electricity from wind aren't what turbines used to be. They're a whole lot better, which is why Robin Saiz is still banking on building what could be the first wind farm in Florida.

Guest opinion, by Ray Judah: Florida's lawmakers choose winners, losers with nuclear projects  Dec 3, 2011-Theres been a lot of talk coming out of Tallahassee recently about fewer government regulations and more market-driven solutions. A similar sentiment was echoed at the recent Florida Energy Summit, sponsored by Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, where state legislators and appointed officials argued that the state should not pick winners and losers when it comes to energy solutions. Let market forces prevail, they said.

Solyndra Highlights Long History Of Energy Subsidies  November 16, 2011 When Energy Secretary Steven Chu appears on Capitol Hill on Thursday to defend the Obama administration's solar energy subsidy program, he will face questions about the solar panel firm Solyndra, which went belly up this summer. The Energy Department has drawn stiff criticism over a government loan guarantee program that lent the company half a billion dollars, but the government has a long history of subsidizing many forms of energy.

Couple promoting renewable energy plan for DeLand (**FREPA Note: some experts interviewed in article are proponents of rooftop distributed solar at the exclusion of large scale solar farms)
 November 13, 2011,DELAND -- Richard and Ilonka Haugner have a vision for DeLand's energy future. Instead of smokestacks, photovoltaic solar panels would soak up Volusia County's abundant sunshine and turn it into clean power. A nearby biogas plant would convert table scraps from local restaurants into methane, which could be used to generate electricity or fuel ecologically friendly buses. Meanwhile, organic fruits and vegetables would grow in a greenhouse on site.

Crossing The Cleantech Divide: Key Takeaways  Silicon Valley Bank brought together 104 experts from the entrepreneurial, venture capital, energy, academic and policy worlds to discuss critical issues affecting the long term growth of the energy generation, storage and efficiency markets. Read more about some key takeaways from this set of invigorating, closed door discussions.

State Renewable Energy Standards Under Attack From GOP Legislators   Republican legislators in Montana, Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri are separately trying to weaken or dismantle the renewable portfolio standards in their states, which are seen as crucial to U.S. efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and develop a globally competitive clean economy.

From Sputnik to SunShot The energy secretary, Steven Chu, was publicly using the phrase Sputnik moment two months before President Obama picked it up in the State of the Union speech to describe the need for a national effort to improve competitiveness in a technical field.

Florida jobs from renewable energy projects, topic of discussion  Florida Governor Rick Scotts inauguration ceremony was simulcast in the community room of the Naples Daily News as local business owners met to hear this months powerful speaker presented by the Economic Development Council of Collier County (EDC).

Renewable energy bill sparks job creation debate HELENA- A debate about renewable energy and its connection to jobs is on the table for the Montana Legislature.

The Big List: 2010's Biggest Renewable Energy Projects  Here we give you the biggest renewable energy projects that came online in 2010 in the all the renewable energy industries.

Senate Democrats abandon comprehensive energy bill (AP) - WASHINGTON - Senate Democrats on Thursday gave up plans to attempt to pass an energy bill that caps greenhouse gases blamed for global warming, abandoning a priority of President Barack Obama.

Why Are Democrats Giving Up on Energy Reform? Congressional Democrats are officially dropping plans for a comprehensive energy reform bill. They had originally hoped to pass such a bill, meant to address long-term climate change, some time during 2010. They now say they will instead focus on a more modest energy bill responding to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, dealing with such issues as regulatory standards. Why give up?

Down Year for Biofuels Ends Badly; Tax Credit for Biodiesel Producers Expires.  OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - An alternative fuel for diesel engines is off to a shaky start this year though it emits fewer pollutants and cuts down on petroleum use because it's made from environmentally friendly waste and vegetable oil. 

Schwarzenegger to veto renewable energy bills.  By JULIET WILLIAMS (AP) - Sept. 13, 2009 - SACRAMENTO, Calif. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's office said Saturday that he would veto legislation requiring a third of California's energy to come from renewable sources by 2020, choosing instead to mandate the change through an executive order.


Democrats Behind Latest Drive for Drilling.  June 23, 2009 - A change in leadership in Congress and the White House has done little to make Florida's coastline less vulnerable to oil drilling.

Gainesville Biomass Plant Approved. May 8, 2009 - The city entered a 30-year contract Thursday that will bring a wood-burning biomass power plant to Gainesville, promising a future energy supply that is renewable, less subject to the price volatility of fossil fuels and has cleaner emissions.

Sunshine State sees the light with solar;
Area begins to capitalize on natural energy benefits. Forida: the Sunshine State.

It's a nice motto and all, but when it comes to harvesting those rays through rooftop solar panels, Florida might as well coat itself in sunblock.

GRU Unveils New Solar Incentives.  Oct. 13, 2008. Gainesville Regional Utilities has attracted the eyes of environmentalists across the nation for a trail-blazing plan to encourage solar energy production by agreeing to buy the electricity above market value for 20 years.

"2008 State Energy Efficiency Scorecard" Released by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE).  Oct. 2008. The report rates and ranks state-level action on model energy efficiency policies, programs, and practices.  The report aims to recognize leadership among the states, identify best practices, and offers states a blueprint for greening up both the environment and the economy through energy efficiency strategies.  Download the report here.

State of the States 2008: Renewable Energy Development and the Role of Policy.  The Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) report provides insights into the status of renewable energy development at the state level. The report also proposes a strategy for better understanding the role of policy in renewable energy development and provides reference resources for state policy makers to better understand development of renewable energy resources.  See the report here.

Cane generates a harvest of energy.  Sept. 20, 2008, St. Petersburg Times. For the past 11 years, Florida Crystals, the nation's largest sugar producer, has powered its massive refining operation by burning leftover sugarcane.  When there is excess electricity, the company sells it to utilities all over the state, providing enough energy to power 60,000 homes and eliminating the need for 1-million barrels of foreign oil per year, the company says.  Now the company wants to play a larger role in the state's renewable energy industry by expanding its electricity generation and ultimately moving into the production of biofuels such as ethanol.  Despite a statewide push for more renewable energy, Florida Crystals says it is running into opposition from utility companies and state regulators.  Read more.

EIG Biomass Contract Moves Forward.  August 15, 2008.  Southern California Edison asks California regulators for approval of a 20-year power purchase agreement with Imperial Valley Biopower, a unit of FREPA member Energy Integration Group.  The utility would take all the output from a 20-megawatt biomass facility near the town of El Centro in California's Imperial Valley.

Farm to Fuel Event Pushes Florida. August 1, 2008. Whether derived from sugar cane, switchgrass, algae, citrus peel or woody biomass, biofuels grown in the Sunshine State can spearhead the nation's future energy policy, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer said.

The Next Generation of Alternative Energy: Venture capitalists flirt with solar thermal, algae, and wave power.  July 25, 2008. Now that alternative energy is the new darling of Silicon Valley, investors are pumping cash into a raft of obscure technologies, from wave power to algae fuel. Despite the sluggish economy, alternative-energy start-ups received a record $2 billion in venture capital funding in the second quarter of 2008, a 58 percent increase from a year earlier, according to Cleantech Group, a market research firm.

Solar Energy Systems Rebate Program

Renewable Energy Technologies Grant Program

Renewable Energy Technologies Tax Incentives Programs

Florida Farm to Fuel Grant Program

Other Financial Incentives