Learn Why Rooftop Solar Has Faded In Jacksonville
WJCT's Brendan River's recent piece on rooftop solar power is an eyeopener. It offers clear insight on why the once popular energy efficient option for net metering, which TerraWise Homes was at the forefront of in Jacksonville, has disappeared.
TerraWise Homes was the only builder interviewed in the piece likely because few others came close to the almost 100% opt-in for including solar packages by its home buyers. Rivers interviewed Director of Operations Jac Shacter, along with executives from other companies that have been on the forefront of the technology. The facts are clear: JEA basically killed the program by slashing the amount paid per kilowatt hour to homeowners with rooftop solar for the excess power they sold back to JEA.
Jac expanded on his quote form the article about how TerraWise went from basically 100% solar homes to none overnight.
"It is simply amazing how JEA was able to use its lobbying power and financial might to kill one of the most logical and sensible ways to increase the amount of solar power generated while also reducing greenhouse gases and slowing climate change," said Shacter. "While it's great JEA and other major utilities around the state are playing catch up by building solar panel farms instead of more fossil fuel fired plants, there are millions of rooftops where solar panels could be added with zero investment by these companies."
Jac applauded the article by River's and said he hopes it will go viral to help get the truth out about what happened to rooftop solar in Jacksonville and around the state.
"People need to know the full story and hopefully get fired up and behind efforts to restore a sensible rooftop solar and net metering policy that encourages private homeowners and businesses to invest in solar power," said Shacter. "TerraWise was founded with the goal of providing the most energy efficient homes in Jacksonville and to make energy efficiency affordable. It remains the focus at TerraWise and we along with our home buyers are achieving that goal with every home we build. But adding solar power is the key to maximizing efficiency, saving homeowners money and lowering the carbon footprint of homes and their impact on global warming."
Shacter closed with this thought: "It's just common sense to have a program that fairly incentivizes people to have homes that generate as much or even more power than they consume."
Read the Brendan River's article here and please consider sharing it with others. Learn more about solar power homes, net metering and JEA's current program.