ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — With Florida's reputation as the Sunshine State, some school leaders see harnessing the power of the sun to help their energy costs.
But right now, there's a cap on what school districts can spend per student. A proposed bill known as School Solar HB 935 is getting support in the legislature to make adding solar installation an exemption. That would allow schools to install solar energy panels and save money over time on the utility bills.
The bill's sponsor Rep. Jennifer Webb says Pinellas County Schools spent $22.2 million on energy bills during the 2017-2018 school year. The sponsor of the companion bill in the Florida senate SB1290, Sen. Lori Berman says schools could save an average of $16,000 a year with a 100-kilowatt system.
Pinellas has more than 140 schools; so if you do the math, the district could save $2,272,000 in energy costs. There are about 100 more schools in Hillsborough County, so that district would save $4 million.
Another possible benefit is battery storage. That would reduce the impact of power outages after hurricanes.
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