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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to the energy security and disaster 2
resilience pilot program; creating s. 377.817, F.S.; 3
creating the pilot program within the Department of 4
Agriculture and Consumer Services; providing the 5
purpose of the pilot program; defining terms; 6
providing for the issuance of grants to offset costs 7
relating to onsite solar energy storage systems for 8
certain facilities; providing requirements for the 9
application process; directing the department to 10
conduct or contract to conduct a specified study, 11
publish the study on its website, and provide copies 12
of the study to the Governor and Legislature by a 13
specified date; authorizing the department to adopt 14
rules; providing for expiration of the pilot program; 15
providing an appropriation ; providing an effective 16
date. 17
18
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 19
20
Section 1. Section 377.817, Florida Statutes, is created 21
to read: 22
377.817 Energy security and disaster resilience pilot 23
program.— 24
(1) PROGRAM CREATION AND PURPOSE. —There is created within 25
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the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services an energy 26
security and disaster resilience pilot program. The purpose of 27
the pilot program is to : 28
(a) Encourage the implementation of and demonstrate the 29
effectiveness of distributed energy generation and energy 30
storage technologies to provide for the energy needs of critical 31
disaster resilience facilities during a natural disaster or a 32
declared state of emergency; and 33
(b) Study and assess the effectiveness of grants for 34
distributed energy generation and energy storage technologies to 35
improve the security of the state's energy resources and enhance 36
preparedness and resilience statewide for a natur al disaster or 37
a declared state of emergency. 38
(2) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section, the term: 39
(a) "Critical disaster resilience facility" means: 40
1. Emergency operations centers or other buildings owned 41
by a state, county, or municipal government agency and 42
designated by appropriate authorities as places of community 43
refuge which may be made available to provide temporary shelter 44
and housing to citizens during a natural disaster or a declared 45
state of emergency; 46
2. Hospitals, assisted living faci lities, and other public 47
health facilities that are necessary to provide health services 48
following a natural disaster or a declared state of emergency; 49
3. Airports, ports, and other transportation facilities 50
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necessary for evacuation and critical transpor tation needs in 51
preparation for and in response to a natural disaster or a 52
declared state of emergency; 53
4. Facilities that are necessary for personnel and 54
services related to emergency management, law enforcement, 55
public safety, fire and rescue, and othe r first responders in 56
response to a natural disaster or a declared state of emergency; 57
5. Wastewater facilities, stormwater management 58
facilities, and drinking water systems that are necessary for 59
public health and safety in response to a natural disaste r or a 60
declared state of emergency; and 61
6. Buildings housing state, county, or municipal 62
governmental agencies providing services related to disaster 63
preparedness or response. 64
(b) "Department" means the Department of Agriculture and 65
Consumer Services. 66
(c) "Eligible costs" means 30 percent of all direct 67
capital and labor costs associated with the purchase and 68
installation of an onsite solar energy storage system. 69
(d) "Onsite solar energy storage system" means a solar 70
photovoltaic generation device or system that is paired with an 71
electricity storage device or system that: 72
1. Is located on a critical disaster resilience facility's 73
premises and used primarily to offset all or part of the 74
facility's onsite electrical load or to provide backup energy in 75
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the event of a utility electrical outage; 76
2. Is capable of being isolated from the electric grid and 77
operating independently during a utility electrical outage; and 78
3. Has sufficient battery storage capacity to supply at 79
least 24 hours of backup power to meet the critical disaster 80
resilience facility's onsite electrical load or at least 5 hours 81
of the facility's average daily usage of electricity. 82
(3) GRANTS.—The department shall establish a program to 83
issue grants to offset costs for the purchase or lease and 84
installation of onsite solar energy storage systems to serve 85
critical disaster resilience facilities. 86
(4) APPLICATION PROCESS. — 87
(a) An applicant seeking a grant, including an owner or 88
installer of the onsite solar energy storage system apply ing on 89
behalf of a critical disaster resilience facility, must submit 90
an application to the department by a specified date as 91
determined by the department. The application must include a 92
complete description of all eligible costs, proof of purchase or 93
lease of the onsite solar energy storage system for which the 94
applicant is seeking a grant, and any other information deemed 95
necessary by the department. 96
(b) The department shall determine the grant eligibility 97
of each applicant pursuant to this section and department rule. 98
To the extent that funds are available, the department shall 99
issue grants to eligible applicants on a competitive basis, 100
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based on selection criteria developed by the department. The 101
total amount of grants issued to eligible applicants may not 102
exceed the amount appropriated for the pilot program. 103
(5) ENERGY STORAGE AND RENEWABLE ENERGY RESOURCES STUDY. — 104
(a) The department shall conduct or contract with a third 105
party to conduct a study on the effectiveness of using solar 106
energy storage technologies and other renewable energy 107
generation and storage technologies. 108
(b) The study must include an assessment of the 109
effectiveness of solar energy storage technologies under the 110
pilot program. The assessment must be based on factors that may 111
include, but are not limited to, the public health and safety, 112
disaster preparedness and resilience, capital investment, net 113
customer savings, net utility savings or deferred investments, 114
net job creation, and impact on utility service rates and 115
service quality. 116
(c) The study must include all of the following: 117
1. Identification of existing policies relating to the use 118
of solar energy storage technologies and other renewable energy 119
generation and storage technologies. 120
2. Recommendations for expanding t he pilot program as a 121
statewide energy security and disaster resilience policy. 122
3. Recommendations for statewide utility and state and 123
local planning and procurement policies that will provide net 124
benefits from the use of solar energy storage technologie s and 125
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other renewable energy generation and storage technologies. 126
(d) By December 31, 2023, the department shall publish the 127
results of the study on its website and provide copies of the 128
study to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the 129
Speaker of the House of Representatives. 130
(6) RULES.—The department may adopt rules to administer 131
this section. 132
(7) PILOT PROGRAM EXPIRATION. —This section expires on 133
January 1, 2025. 134
Section 2. For the 2022-2023 fiscal year, the sum of $10 135
million in nonrecurring funds is appropriated from the General 136
Revenue Fund to the Department of Agriculture and Consumer 137
Services for the purpose of funding the energy security and 138
disaster resilience pilot program created by this act. The 139
department may use up to $100,0 00 to administer the pilot 140
program and may use up to $150,000 to conduct or contract with a 141
third party to conduct the energy storage and renewable energy 142
resources study. 143
Section 3. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law. 144