Signups for Renewable Energy Program Match Florida Power & Light's Forecast

By Kristi E. Swartz, The Palm Beach Post, Fla. -- April 22

A "couple thousand" residents have signed up for Florida Power & Light Co.'s alternative-energy program, an FPL spokeswoman said Wednesday.

The program, called Sunshine Energy, lets FPL's residential customers pay an extra $9.75 a month to fuel their homes with 1,000 kilowatt hours of renewable energy.

FPL, the utility subsidiary of Juno Beach-based FPL Group Inc. (NYSE: FPL, $63.41), started Sunshine Energy in February and says the number of subscribers so far is about what the utility expected.

"It's not a program that's for everyone, and it appeals to people that are environmentally conscious and want very much to participate in being part of a solution for cleaner air," FPL spokeswoman Pat Davis said.

Austin, Texas-based Green Mountain Energy Co. is helping FPL market its program and will have a booth at SunFest next week.

The company, which serves about 500,000 customers in eight states, also buys renewable energy -- solar, wind and biomass -- for FPL's program.

"The fact that they have the leadership and vision to bring in someone with a lot of marketing experience to push the envelope is wonderful," said Stephen Smith, executive director for the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, based in Knoxville, Tenn.

More than 300 utilities in 32 states offer renewable-energy programs, with about a 1 percent participation rate.

FPL says its figures are in line with those expectations, but Smith says that Green Mountain could help by making its plans more ambitious.

"It's a grand experiment, but we are very eager to see what is going to happen 12, 18 months out," Smith said. "I hope they set a higher standard for the whole Southeast."

Smith says it's critical that utilities give their customers the choice of supporting renewable energy, and it's as equally important that consumers participate.

Florida, for example, is vulnerable when it comes to climate change.

"For anybody who cares about the Everglades and about the wonderful beaches, we need to be making these choices now," he said. "We're going to have serious consequences a lot sooner than people think."

Lori Bird, a senior energy analyst at the Golden, Colo.-based National Renewable Energy Laboratory, says $10 a month is a relatively low cost for supporting renewable energy sources.

"It sends a message to the utility that they care about this," she said.

For every 1,000 customers FPL signs up, the company has pledged to provide 150 kilowatts of solar power, which amounts to about 15,000 square feet of panels.

FPL is searching for potential sites for the panels, Davis said.

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