Oct 10, 2007 - Knight Ridder Tribune Business News
Author(s): Sam Nissen

Oct. 10--The sun might soon provide the reef with added relief.

Reef Relief, an organization dedicated to protecting coral, hopes to power its Key West office through a solar-power array to be installed on the roof. Reef Relief and Keys Energy are applying for grants to fund the project that the utility hopes will b come a model for others to follow. "Anyone wanting to hook up could go look at the working panels," says Julio Barroso, a Keys Energy spokesman. "Once we get that in place, it's going to be a nice feather in our cap - a guide for others that are interested in solar panels." The two organizations are formulating grant applications, but money is available to those who want to benefit from the plentiful solar energy in the Keys.

Grants from the state and federal governments can knock off as much as 60 percent of the installation costs for commercial projects. Residential panel installations don't receive near as much incentive money, but solar hot-water heaters have extra discounts. Reef Relief directors hope the joint project can add to its efforts to save local coral. "We feel this is an opportunity to show that installing solar is a viable way to reduce our carbon footprint," Reef Relief Executive Director DeeVon Quirolo said. "Fossil fuels warm the planet, which increases the pathogens that destroy our reef, so this directly feeds into our mission to save the reef." But Quirolo admits the road is long and that she cannot be sure the panels at Reef Relief, 631 Greene St., will power the whole building, even in the sunniest of conditions.

"It's not easy, which is why this is important to have a demonstration project to teach other people how to go about this," she said. Florida, a state known for its sunshine, is actually only above average in terms of direct shine. Solar-panel experts from the University of Central Florida say the desert Southwest receives significantly more sun and has better results with solar-power collection. South Florida is the best area for solar east of the Mississippi and is on par with central Nebraska or western Arkansas. "The desert Southwest has the largest solar resource in the continental U.S., but Florida is not very far behind," according to a UCF report.

"Consumers should note that many parts of the country that have more state financial incentives have a much power solar resource, making Florida a very cost-effective location for using solar energy." Barroso said Keys Energy is also looking at installing a 2-acre array of solar panels on Big Pine Key, where the utility houses a backup diesel power plant. The plant would produce one megawatt of power each day if constructed, and help the Florida Muni ipal Power Agency meet state standards for renewable energy. But the company admits the 2 acres are far from a solution for Keyswide power: Keys Energy customers use 135 to 145 megawatts of power each day.

But Barroso says the plant would help put a dent in the larger power agency's goal of increasing renewable energy sources. "It's probably not much," he said. "But when you combine it with others across the state, together we have a big voice." To learn more: Check to see if your business or home can receive benefits for installing solar panels: http://www.clean-power.com/CleanPowerEstimator/default.aspx  On a related note, last month Keys Energy and others from county and state agencies met with Keys Hydro Power, a group that hopes to use tidal currents to power the Keys. That group hopes to begin installing test units into the seabed near Bahia Honda.

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