COCOA, FL — Environmentalists, electric utility representatives, state officials, and energy developers met here at the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) on July 23 to kick off the Florida Green Power Accreditation Program.

“The program will ensure the development of clean energy technologies in Florida,” said Jennifer Szaro, an FSEC researcher who is actively involved in the initiative. “FSEC is playing a major role in establishing the criteria.”

According to FSEC, the program criteria will serve as a guideline to define what constitutes an environmentally friendly green power product in Florida. Green power is typically derived from solar, wind, or biological energy.

FSEC also says that green power for electricity costs consumers only a few dollars more a month, but the option is rarely requested because customers are skeptical that the product is actually green.

The Center for Resource Solutions (CRS), a nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, CA, will use the criteria to evaluate and grant accreditation to green pricing products offered by Florida utilities.

Publication date: 08/20/2001