Florida PSC approves Tampa Electric plan to offer solar energy

The Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) approved Tampa Electric Company’s (TECO) request for an optional solar energy tariff.

The approval clears the way for TECO customers who want to get solar energy. It essentially permits electric service customers to purchase energy from a designated TECO solar energy resource to replace all or part of their monthly energy consumption.

“We found the option to be in the public interest because it expands access to solar for all,” PSC Chairman Art Graham said. “Customers can easily join and leave the program, and they benefit from the utility’s cost of solar, which is lower than rooftop or smaller scale privately owned solar.”

TECO’s solar tariff provides homeowners, renters, and businesses equal access to solar energy generation regardless of whether they rent or own or run a business. Currently, for example, many customers do not have access to solar because they rent. But with the new solar tariff, TECO participants would pay a Shared Solar Charge of $0.063 per kilowatt-hour for energy produced by a portion (17.5 megawatts) of the Lake Hancock solar facility, which began full operations on April 25, 2019.

However, participating customers won’t have to pay the fuel cost component of their bills on the part of their consumption that comes from solar.

TECO represents about 765,000 customers in West Central Florida.