Florida is still the top state in the Southeast for installed solar capacity.
It actually outperformed all others, like Texas and California, when it comes to the pace of capacity additions.
As of 2024, Florida can generate 13,850 megawatts of solar energy, according to the nonprofit Southern Alliance for Clean Energy's "Solar in the Southeast" report.
The analysis said capacity is expected to more than double to nearly 30,000 megawatts by 2030.
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Florida Power & Light is considered a regional leader in renewable energy investment.
The utility added an average of 1,585 megawatts of solar per year for the last three years — that's enough to power thousands of homes each year.
FPL's latest resource plan filed in April shows the utility is planning to build 17,433 megawatts of incremental solar capacity by 2035, which the SACE report describes as "astonishing" and "a tall goal."
Duke Energy is second to FPL for installed solar capacity in the Southeast.
Stephen Smith, executive director for SACE, said in a webinar power companies investing in solar energy helps control rising electric bills while lowering climate pollution.
"That is what it's going to take to be able to manage costs going forward, is getting technologies that can be brought on quickly, cost-effectively, don't have fuel cost risk," Smith said. "So, electrification in the utility sector is critical in solving the climate crisis."
The report by SACE said because fuel costs are passed directly on to customers, solar is a low-cost way to stabilize customer utility bills by reducing their exposure to spikes in coal and gas prices.
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And despite rollbacks of federal tax credits, it said solar remains cost-competitive as costs associated with fossil fuel infrastructure trend upward.
It's important to note that the Solar for All program was also cut, which provided solar for any community regardless of location, income, and housing type.
SACE also pointed to a trend of solar energy production in the state by not only investor-owned utilities, but also municipal ones.
"It is a little bit unusual to see some of the municipal or smaller utilities in leadership categories like this," said SACE senior energy policy manager Heather Pohnan.
The Florida Municipal Solar Project is a partnership of 16 Florida public power utilities that pursue utility-scale solar, such as the Orlando Utilities Commission and Jacksonville Electric Authority.
"The progress that they've made over the three years is expected to continue into the future," Pohnan said.
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