Working families in Florida are paying twice for the same problem. Once at a gas station where fuel prices have skyrocketed due to conflicts overseas, Florida’s electricity is made with imported fuel at world prices, so it’s back to the electricity bill. We can reduce that risk by increasing investment in solar power, starting a domestic nuclear renaissance, and modernizing our power grid.
The answer is obvious. Build more Florida-grown power. Plus Florida Solar. More storage in Florida. A new generation of Florida nuclear power plants. A new generation of grid infrastructure.
The important thing is that the new energy has to come from Florida, not just from the United States. Florida is mostly a peninsula, and our electrical grid has limited connections to the rest of the country. Therefore, the electricity to keep Florida running must be generated within Florida. The more energy you produce at home, the more predictable your bills will be, the stronger your power grid will be in case of an emergency, and the less foreign influence you will have on your Florida family.
The alternative, natural gas, is expensive. Most of Florida’s natural gas comes from outside the state. Roughly three of every four kilowatt-hours of electricity generated in Florida comes from the same fuel. Natural gas is essential to American life, but Florida is overly dependent on it. When global gas prices rise, Floridians pay more. Florida utilities currently project natural gas costs to rise more than 14% over the next 10 years. This, combined with increased liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports, could increase Floridians’ electricity bills by $15 to $22 per month by 2035. It doesn’t have to be this way. The good news is that Florida State is well-positioned to make the necessary adjustments.
Florida is already a national leader in solar power deployment, thanks to the widespread use of rooftop solar in the state and the commitment of utility companies to large-scale deployment. Florida leads the Southeast in total installed solar capacity, at just under 20GW. Fuel cost savings are also evident in your electricity bill. FPL’s solar installations have saved customers more than $1 billion in fuel costs since 2021. Duke Energy Florida’s growing solar program now totals more than 1,700 MW across approximately 30 sites and is expected to save 2 million customers approximately $1 billion over the life of the newest sites, with Duke receiving approximately $65 million in federal tax credits each year directly on customers’ bills. Tampa Electric, which has the highest percentage of solar power of any utility in Florida, has saved customers more than $310 million in fuel costs since 2017. Across the state, an additional 25 GW of solar PV and 8 GW of energy storage will be installed over the next 10 years. We’ve already seen what you can do with this type of investment. For example, when Hurricane Ian devastated Southwest Florida in 2022, the Babcock Ranch solar community in Charlotte County recorded zero customer power outages.
Solar power has proven to be an effective hedge against both price shocks and storm-related disruptions, but it is not the only option. Florida can and must lead a modern nuclear renaissance. From the beginning of his second term, President Trump put U.S. nuclear power at the center of his national security agenda, directing agencies to speed up permitting, advance the development of small nuclear reactors, and rebuild the U.S. nuclear industry. Our utilities are more than capable of leading the way in nuclear energy. We have several factories that have been in operation for decades and are serviced by our own experts. Now we need to reduce the barriers to deploying advanced nuclear reactors, keeping costs low and predictable for homes and businesses alike, while allowing us to transform our power grids to provide uninterrupted power during storms, foreign conflicts, and all other forms of instability.
Generating more power in Florida is only half the equation. The other half is the wire that carries it. As recent reports have highlighted, even the cheapest new generation will be cheaper if it has to utilize aging transmission and distribution lines. The United States has underinvested in power grid infrastructure for decades. Florida needs to combine solar power, storage, and nuclear power with a serious effort to modernize its electric grid: stronger transmission, smarter distribution, and a proactive plan to meet growing demand. Without these grid investments, every dollar Florida spends on new generation means less affordable, reliable, clean energy for families who pay the bills.
While Florida can’t control the weather or what happens overseas, we can protect our homes and businesses from a double hit to our wallets.
Zachary Colletti is the executive director of the Clean Energy Conservatives of Florida.
