Florida Senate - 2009 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Bill No. SB 1380
Barcode 934698
LEGISLATIVE ACTION
Senate . House
Comm: RCS .
03/17/2009 .
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The Committee on Communications, Energy, and Public Utilities
(King) recommended the following:
1 Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
2
3 Delete everything after the enacting clause
4 and insert:
5 Section 1. Section 377.705, Florida Statutes, is amended to
6 read:
7 377.705 Solar Energy Center; development of solar energy
8 standards.—
9 (1) SHORT TITLE.—This section act shall be known and may be
10 cited as the “Solar Energy Standards Act” of 1976.
11 (2) LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS AND INTENT.—
12 (a) Because of increases in the cost of conventional fuel,
13 certain applications of solar energy are becoming competitive,
14 particularly when life-cycle costs are considered. It is the
15 intent of the Legislature in formulating a sound and balanced
16 energy policy for the state to encourage the development of an
17 alternative energy capability in the form of incident solar
18 energy.
19 (b) Toward this purpose, the Legislature intends to provide
20 incentives for the production and sale of, and to set standards
21 for, solar energy systems. Such standards must shall ensure that
22 solar energy systems manufactured or sold within the state are
23 effective and represent a high level of quality of materials,
24 workmanship, and design.
25 (3) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section, the term:
26 (a) “Center” means is defined as the Florida Solar Energy
27 Center of the Board of Governors.
28 (b) “Solar energy systems” means is defined as equipment
29 that which provides for the collection and use of incident solar
30 energy for water heating, space heating or cooling, or other
31 applications that which normally require or would require a
32 conventional source of energy such as petroleum products,
33 natural gas, or electricity, and that which performs primarily
34 with solar energy. In such other systems in which solar energy
35 is used in a supplemental way, only those components that which
36 collect and transfer solar energy are shall be included in this
37 definition.
38 (4) FLORIDA SOLAR ENERGY CENTER TO SET STANDARDS, REQUIRE
39 DISCLOSURE, SET TESTING FEES.—
40 (a) The center shall develop and adopt promulgate standards
41 for solar energy systems manufactured or sold in this state
42 based on the best currently available information and shall
43 consult with scientists, engineers, or persons in research
44 centers who are engaged in the construction of, experimentation
45 with, and research of solar energy systems to properly identify
46 the most reliable designs and types of solar energy systems.
47 (b) The center shall establish criteria for testing the
48 performance of solar energy systems and shall maintain the
49 necessary capability for testing or evaluating the performance
50 of solar energy systems. The center may accept the results of
51 tests on solar energy systems made by other organizations,
52 companies, or persons if when such tests are conducted according
53 to the criteria established by the center and if when the
54 testing entity does not have a has no vested interest in the
55 manufacture, distribution, or sale of solar energy systems.
56 (5)(c) FEES.-The center shall charge be entitled to receive
57 a testing fee sufficient to cover the costs of such testing. All
58 testing fees shall be transmitted by the center to the Chief
59 Financial Officer to be deposited in the Solar Energy Center
60 Testing Trust Fund, which is hereby created in the State
61 Treasury, and disbursed for the payment of expenses incurred in
62 testing solar energy systems.
63 (d) All solar energy systems manufactured or sold in the
64 state must meet the standards established by the center and
65 shall display accepted results of approved performance tests in
66 a manner prescribed by the center.
67 (6) CONTRACTING.—The manufacture, sale, training, and
68 supervision of the installation of solar products and system
69 components do not require a separate license if:
70 (a) The person who manufactures and sells solar products or
71 solar systems clearly states to the consumers, in writing, that
72 he or she is not acting as a licensed contractor for the purpose
73 of installing such products or systems, and that all products or
74 system components meet the standards set forth in the national
75 and state electrical code.
76 (b) The services of an electrical, plumbing, solar, or pool
77 contractor, appropriately licensed, certified, or registered
78 under chapter 489, is retained to install such products or
79 systems. The contractor responsible for the installation must
80 obtain all required permits and building code inspections.
81 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2009.
82
83
84 ================= T I T L E A M E N D M E N T ================
85 And the title is amended as follows:
86 Delete everything before the enacting clause
87 and insert:
88 An act relating to solar energy; amending s. 377.705, F.S.;
89 requiring the Solar Energy Center to charge testing fees;
90 deleting a provision that requires solar energy systems in this
91 state to meet a certain standard; providing that a person who
92 manufactures and sells solar products and systems does not need
93 a contractor license if certain requirements are met; providing
94 an effective date.
95