JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Clean energy advocates say JEA is leaving millions of federal dollars on the table that could be leveraged to increase the use of solar energy and potentially lower costs for customers.
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Wednesday will mark the one-year anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act, but clean energy advocates like Dr. Josh Melko are worried Jacksonville won’t be getting its fair share.
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“JEA’s Integrated Resource Plan ignores a lot of the funding available from the Inflation Reduction Act,” Melko said.
Specifically, Melko points to a quarter trillion dollars available for tax credits, which can be leveraged to cover 30 to 40 percent of the cost for new solar, wind and battery storage infrastructure.
Read: Affordable Jacksonville housing village will be powered by solar energy
“So, imagine you’re going to a restaurant and choosing between two. If somebody gives you a 30 percent coupon that’s going to affect where you go eat,” Melko said.
But JEA is leaving that coupon on the kitchen counter, so to speak.
“Tax credit implementing rules were still under development at the time JEA conducted its Integrated Resource Plan. If the tax credits deliver savings to our customers, we will fully consider using them,” a JEA spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
JEA’s Integrated Resource Plan also shows the utility intends to reach 24 percent renewable energy by 2030.
Read: Federal investigation at Jacksonville solar company
That would be up from the current two percent.
Still, Melko argues Inflation Reduction Act funding should be put towards that effort sooner, rather than later.
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“Especially when there’s more money than ever and economically solar prices are cheaper and going to continue to trend down, while fossil fuels are doing the opposite. And those price spikes of natural gas, customers feel that cause JEA just passes those fossil fuel price spikes onto the customers,” Melko said.
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