FPL Solar Announcement a Positive Step, But More Action Is Needed

TALLAHASSEE, FL -- Wednesday, Florida Power and Light (FPL) announced they would install tens of millions of new solar panels by 2030. While this is a positive step forward, their announcement left out some crucial perspective.

FPL plans to spend more than $1 billion dollars to expand the burning of fracked gas at their Dania Beach plant. This is despite the fact that methane, the primary component in fracked gas, is a greenhouse gas 87 times more potent than carbon dioxide over its first 20 years in our atmosphere. FPL could have replaced the capacity from the fracked gas plant with solar energy instead of locking South Florida into decades of more fracked gas burning.

It also is not clear how FPL arrived at their “67 percent fleet-wide reduction” figure. Without knowing what their reference point is, it’s hard to know if they are comparing apples to oranges by measuring expected 2030 proportions against their current portfolio to get an artificially impressive number.

In response, Sierra Club Florida Chapter Director Frank Jackalone released the following statement:

"We are glad to see FPL committing to build more solar energy capacity, but it’s a shame they recently chose to expand the burning of fracked gas at their Dania plant anyway. If FPL truly wants make the Sunshine State a national leader in clean, renewable energy, they would drop any new coal, oil, nuclear, or fracked gas from their portfolio and stop fighting residents and businesses that want to put solar panels on their rooftops. While today’s announcement is a step in the right direction, bigger leaps are needed if FPL wants to be a partner in the fight against climate change.”

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