Florida Senate - 2016                        COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. CS for SB 704
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Ì626830ÂÎ626830                         
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
                   Comm: WD            .                                
                  02/29/2016           .                                
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       The Committee on Fiscal Policy (Abruzzo) recommended the
       following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment to Amendment (554986) (with title
    2  amendment)
    3  
    4         Before line 5
    5  insert:
    6         Section 1. Section 377.705, Florida Statues, is amended to
    7  read:
    8         377.705 Solar Energy Center; development of solar energy
    9  standards.—
   10         (1) SHORT TITLE.—This act shall be known and may be cited
   11  as the Solar Energy Standards Act of 1976.
   12         (2) LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS AND INTENT.—
   13         (a) Because of increases in the cost of conventional fuel,
   14  certain applications of solar energy are becoming competitive,
   15  particularly when life-cycle costs are considered. It is the
   16  intent of the Legislature in formulating a sound and balanced
   17  energy policy for the state to encourage the development of an
   18  alternative energy capability in the form of incident solar
   19  energy.
   20         (b) Toward this purpose, the Legislature intends to provide
   21  incentives for the production and sale of, and to set standards
   22  for, solar energy systems. Such standards shall It is the intent
   23  of the Florida Legislature to ensure that solar energy systems
   24  manufactured or sold within the state are effective and
   25  represent a high level of quality of materials, workmanship, and
   26  design.
   27         (3) DEFINITIONS.—
   28         (a) “Center” is defined as the Florida Solar Energy Center
   29  of the Board of Governors.
   30         (b) “Solar energy systems” is defined as equipment which
   31  provides for the collection and use of incident solar energy for
   32  water heating, space heating or cooling, or other applications
   33  which normally require or would require a conventional source of
   34  energy such as petroleum products, natural gas, or electricity
   35  and which performs primarily with solar energy. In such other
   36  systems in which solar energy is used in a supplemental way,
   37  only those components which collect and transfer solar energy
   38  shall be included in this definition.
   39         (c) “Recognized certifying entity” is any entity that
   40  certifies equipment that collects and uses incident solar
   41  energy, pursuant to standards as established by the National
   42  Renewable Energy Laboratory.
   43         (4) FLORIDA SOLAR ENERGY CENTER TO SET STANDARDS, REQUIRE
   44  DISCLOSURE, SET TESTING FEES.—
   45         (a) The center shall develop and promulgate standards for
   46  solar energy systems manufactured or sold in this state not
   47  certified pursuant to National Renewable Energy Laboratory
   48  standards, based on the best currently available information and
   49  shall consult with scientists, engineers, or persons in research
   50  centers who are engaged in the construction of, experimentation
   51  with, and research of solar energy systems to properly identify
   52  the most reliable designs and types of solar energy systems.
   53         (b) The center shall establish criteria for testing
   54  performance of solar energy systems not certified pursuant to
   55  National Renewable Energy Laboratory standards, and shall
   56  maintain the necessary capability for testing or evaluating
   57  performance of solar energy systems. The center may accept
   58  results of tests on solar energy systems made by other
   59  organizations, companies, or persons when such tests are
   60  conducted according to the criteria established by the center
   61  and when the testing entity has no vested interest in the
   62  manufacture, distribution or sale of solar energy systems.
   63         (c) The center shall be entitled to receive a testing fee
   64  sufficient to cover the costs of such testing. All testing fees
   65  shall be transmitted by the center to the Chief Financial
   66  Officer to be deposited in the Solar Energy Center Testing Trust
   67  Fund, which is hereby created in the State Treasury, and
   68  disbursed for the payment of expenses incurred in testing solar
   69  energy systems.
   70         (d) All solar energy systems manufactured or sold in the
   71  state must meet the standards established by the center or by a
   72  recognized certifying entity pursuant to National Renewable
   73  Energy Laboratory standards and shall display accepted results
   74  of approved performance tests in a manner prescribed by the
   75  center.
   76  
   77  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
   78  And the title is amended as follows:
   79         Between lines 1519 and 1520
   80  insert:
   81         377.705, F.S.; revising legislative intent; revising
   82         definitions; revising the solar energy systems to
   83         which specified standards apply; amending s.