Florida Senate - 2018                                    SB 1888
       
       
        
       By Senator Garcia
       
       
       
       
       
       36-01553-18                                           20181888__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to the energy security and disaster
    3         resilience pilot program; creating s. 377.817, F.S.;
    4         creating the pilot program within the Department of
    5         Agriculture and Consumer Services; specifying program
    6         purpose; defining terms; providing for the issuance of
    7         grants to offset costs relating to certain onsite
    8         solar energy storage systems for certain facilities
    9         located in areas of critical state concern; providing
   10         policies and procedures for grant application
   11         approval; directing the department to adopt rules by a
   12         specified date; directing the Florida Solar Energy
   13         Center to conduct a specified study under certain
   14         circumstances and to publish and provide copies of the
   15         study to the Governor, the Legislature, and the
   16         Commissioner of Agriculture by a specified date;
   17         providing an expiration date; providing an
   18         appropriation; providing an effective date.
   19          
   20  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   21  
   22         Section 1. Section 377.817, Florida Statutes, is created to
   23  read:
   24         377.817Energy security and disaster resilience pilot
   25  program.—
   26         (1)PROGRAM CREATION AND PURPOSE.—There is created within
   27  the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services an energy
   28  security and disaster resilience pilot program. The purpose of
   29  the pilot program is to:
   30         (a)Encourage use of and demonstrate the effectiveness of
   31  distributed energy generation and energy storage technologies to
   32  provide for the energy needs of critical disaster resilience
   33  facilities located in areas of critical state concern during a
   34  natural disaster or declared state of emergency; and
   35         (b)Study and assess the benefits of grants for distributed
   36  energy generation and energy storage technologies throughout the
   37  state to improve the security of the state’s energy resources
   38  and enhance preparedness and resilience for a natural disaster
   39  or declared state of emergency.
   40         (2)DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section, the term:
   41         (a)“Area of critical state concern” means an area
   42  designated pursuant to s. 380.05.
   43         (b)“Critical disaster resilience facility” means:
   44         1.Any emergency operations center or other building owned
   45  by a state, county, or municipal government agency that is
   46  designated by appropriate authorities as a place of community
   47  refuge made available to provide temporary shelter and housing
   48  to citizens during any natural disaster or declared state of
   49  emergency;
   50         2.Hospitals, assisted living facilities, and other public
   51  health facilities needed to provide health services following a
   52  natural disaster or declared state of emergency;
   53         3.Airports, ports, and other transportation facilities
   54  needed for evacuation and critical transportation needs in
   55  preparation for and in response to a natural disaster or
   56  declared state of emergency;
   57         4.Facilities needed for personnel and services related to
   58  emergency management, law enforcement, public safety, fire and
   59  rescue, and first responders; and
   60         5.Buildings housing state, county, or municipal government
   61  agencies providing any services relating to disaster
   62  preparedness or response.
   63         (c)“Department” means the Department of Agriculture and
   64  Consumer Services.
   65         (d)“Onsite solar energy storage system” means a solar
   66  photovoltaic generation device or system that is paired with an
   67  electricity storage device or system that:
   68         1.Is located on a critical disaster resilience facility’s
   69  premises and is used primarily to offset all or part of the
   70  facility’s onsite electrical load, or to provide backup power in
   71  the event of a utility electrical outage;
   72         2.Is capable of isolating from the electric grid and
   73  operating independently during a utility electrical outage; and
   74         3.Has sufficient battery storage capacity to supply at
   75  least 24 hours of backup power for the critical disaster
   76  resilience facility’s onsite electrical load or at least 5 hours
   77  of the facility’s average daily usage.
   78         (3)GRANTS.—The department shall establish and issue grants
   79  to offset costs for the purchase or lease and installation of
   80  onsite solar energy storage systems placed into service after
   81  January 1, 2018, to serve critical disaster resilience
   82  facilities located in areas of critical state concern.
   83         (4)APPLICATION PROCESS.—
   84         (a)An applicant seeking a grant, including an owner or
   85  installer of the onsite solar energy storage system applying on
   86  behalf of a critical disaster resilience facility, shall submit
   87  an application to the department by a specified date as
   88  determined by department rule. The application shall require a
   89  complete description of all eligible costs, proof of purchase or
   90  lease of the onsite solar energy storage system for which the
   91  applicant is seeking a grant, and any other information deemed
   92  necessary by the department.
   93         (b)The department shall determine the grant eligibility of
   94  each applicant in accordance with the requirements of this
   95  section and department rule. The total amount of grants issued
   96  to eligible applicants may not exceed the amount appropriated
   97  for the pilot program. Grants shall be issued to eligible
   98  applicants on a first-come, first-served basis, determined by
   99  the date the application is received, until all appropriated
  100  funds are expended or the program ends, whichever occurs first.
  101         (5)RULES.—The department shall adopt rules to administer
  102  this section by December 31, 2018, including rules relating to
  103  the forms required to obtain a grant under this section, the
  104  required documentation and basis for establishing grant
  105  eligibility, and procedures and guidelines for obtaining a
  106  grant.
  107         (6)ENERGY STORAGE AND RENEWABLE ENERGY RESOURCES STUDY.—
  108         (a)The Florida Solar Energy Center shall, subject to
  109  legislative appropriation and allocation of funds by the
  110  department, conduct a study on the benefits of using solar
  111  energy storage technologies and other renewable energy
  112  generation and storage technologies.
  113         (b)The study must include an assessment of the benefits
  114  provided by solar energy storage technologies pursuant to the
  115  pilot program, based on factors that may include, but are not
  116  limited to, public health and safety, disaster preparedness and
  117  resilience, capital investment, net customer savings, net
  118  utility savings or deferred investments, net job creation,
  119  impact on utility service rates and service quality, and any
  120  other factors related to the use of such technologies.
  121         (c)The study shall include, but is not limited to:
  122         1.Identification of existing policies relating to the use
  123  of solar energy storage technologies and other renewable energy
  124  generation and storage technologies;
  125         2.Recommendations for expanding the pilot program as a
  126  statewide energy security and disaster resilience policy; and
  127         3.Recommendations for statewide utility planning and
  128  procurement policies that will provide net benefits from the use
  129  of solar energy storage technologies and other renewable energy
  130  generation and storage technologies.
  131         (d)By October 1, 2019, the Florida Solar Energy Center
  132  shall publish the results of the study and submit copies of the
  133  study to the Governor, the President of the Senate, the Speaker
  134  of the House of Representatives, and the Commissioner of
  135  Agriculture.
  136         (7)PILOT PROGRAM EXPIRATION.—This section expires on July
  137  1, 2020.
  138         Section 2. For the 2018-2019 fiscal year, the sum of $10
  139  million in nonrecurring funds is appropriated from the General
  140  Revenue Fund to the Department of Agriculture and Consumer
  141  Services for the purpose of funding the energy security and
  142  disaster resilience pilot program created by this act.
  143         Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2018.