Florida Senate - 2009 CS for SB 1380
By the Committee on Communications, Energy, and Public
Utilities; and Senator King
579-02906-09 20091380c1
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to solar energy; amending s. 377.705,
3 F.S.; requiring the Solar Energy Center to charge
4 testing fees; deleting a provision that requires solar
5 energy systems in this state to meet a certain
6 standard; providing that a person who manufactures and
7 sells solar products and systems does not need a
8 contractor license if certain requirements are met;
9 providing an effective date.
10
11 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
12
13 Section 1. Section 377.705, Florida Statutes, is amended to
14 read:
15 377.705 Solar Energy Center; development of solar energy
16 standards.—
17 (1) SHORT TITLE.—This section act shall be known and may be
18 cited as the “Solar Energy Standards Act” of 1976.
19 (2) LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS AND INTENT.—
20 (a) Because of increases in the cost of conventional fuel,
21 certain applications of solar energy are becoming competitive,
22 particularly when life-cycle costs are considered. It is the
23 intent of the Legislature in formulating a sound and balanced
24 energy policy for the state to encourage the development of an
25 alternative energy capability in the form of incident solar
26 energy.
27 (b) Toward this purpose, the Legislature intends to provide
28 incentives for the production and sale of, and to set standards
29 for, solar energy systems. Such standards must shall ensure that
30 solar energy systems manufactured or sold within the state are
31 effective and represent a high level of quality of materials,
32 workmanship, and design.
33 (3) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section, the term:
34 (a) “Center” means is defined as the Florida Solar Energy
35 Center of the Board of Governors.
36 (b) “Solar energy systems” means is defined as equipment
37 that which provides for the collection and use of incident solar
38 energy for water heating, space heating or cooling, or other
39 applications that which normally require or would require a
40 conventional source of energy such as petroleum products,
41 natural gas, or electricity, and that which performs primarily
42 with solar energy. In such other systems in which solar energy
43 is used in a supplemental way, only those components that which
44 collect and transfer solar energy are shall be included in this
45 definition.
46 (4) FLORIDA SOLAR ENERGY CENTER TO SET STANDARDS, REQUIRE
47 DISCLOSURE, SET TESTING FEES.—
48 (a) The center shall develop and adopt promulgate standards
49 for solar energy systems manufactured or sold in this state
50 based on the best currently available information and shall
51 consult with scientists, engineers, or persons in research
52 centers who are engaged in the construction of, experimentation
53 with, and research of solar energy systems to properly identify
54 the most reliable designs and types of solar energy systems.
55 (b) The center shall establish criteria for testing the
56 performance of solar energy systems and shall maintain the
57 necessary capability for testing or evaluating the performance
58 of solar energy systems. The center may accept the results of
59 tests on solar energy systems made by other organizations,
60 companies, or persons if when such tests are conducted according
61 to the criteria established by the center and if when the
62 testing entity does not have a has no vested interest in the
63 manufacture, distribution, or sale of solar energy systems.
64 (5)(c) FEES.-The center shall charge be entitled to receive
65 a testing fee sufficient to cover the costs of such testing. All
66 testing fees shall be transmitted by the center to the Chief
67 Financial Officer to be deposited in the Solar Energy Center
68 Testing Trust Fund, which is hereby created in the State
69 Treasury, and disbursed for the payment of expenses incurred in
70 testing solar energy systems.
71 (d) All solar energy systems manufactured or sold in the
72 state must meet the standards established by the center and
73 shall display accepted results of approved performance tests in
74 a manner prescribed by the center.
75 (6) CONTRACTING.—The manufacture, sale, training, and
76 supervision of the installation of solar products and system
77 components do not require a separate license if:
78 (a) The person who manufactures and sells solar products or
79 solar systems clearly states to the consumers, in writing, that
80 he or she is not acting as a licensed contractor for the purpose
81 of installing such products or systems, and that all products or
82 system components meet the standards set forth in the national
83 and state electrical codes.
84 (b) The services of an electrical, plumbing, solar, or pool
85 contractor, appropriately licensed, certified, or registered
86 under chapter 489, is retained to install such products or
87 systems. The contractor responsible for the installation must
88 obtain all required permits and building code inspections.
89 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2009.