SOLAR AND CLEAN ENERGY
Orange County’s goal for clean energy seeks to reduce barriers to alternative energy and increase renewable energy production by 10 percent through 2020 and 25 percent by 2040.
To assist homeowners looking to add solar power to their homes, Orange County Government launched its first solar co-op in the summer of 2016. Of 515 participating households, 79 installed solar through the co-op, accounting for 702.83 kilowatts of new solar capacity in Orange County. Building on that momentum, Orange County Government partnered with Solar United Neighbors of Florida to bring two additional solar co-ops to residents in 2018.
For residents living in unincorporated Orange County, an electrical permit is required for solar installation. The permit checklist and fee schedule (PDF) are available for download.
GO SOLAR!
As Central Floridians, together we can strive for new heights to power over a thousand Orange County homes with solar in 2021! It is a smart, achievable goal that will go the distance to make a difference. Our local efforts contribute to the many households across America installing solar energy systems, stimulating an immediate economic boost and pollution prevention to neighborhoods across our Nation by:
- Slashing electricity bills each year for low-and middle-income families
- Creating an abundant well-paying jobs installing solar
- Lowering asthma and other respiratory illness rates caused by air pollution from fossil fuel power plants
The road to solar power is paved one panel at a time. Return to this page to watch for the announcement of the next Orange County co-op opportunity, offering all residents cost savings to install solar energy systems on their homes. Visit solarunitedneighbors.org/orlando for more information.
Prior Installations and Capacity per Solar Co-op
Solar Co-op
|
Installations and capacity
|
Orlando-Winter Park 2015
|
31 installs, 267 kW
|
Orlando-Winter Park 2015
|
56 installs, 610 kW
|
Orange County 2016
|
80 installs, 703 kW
|
Orange County East 2018
|
50 installs, 532 kW
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Orange County West 2018
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31 installs, 276 kW
|
Orlando 2019
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62 installs, 744 kW
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Total
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310 installs, 3,132 kW
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LEADERS IN SOLAR PROGRAMS
For its efforts in making solar power easier to obtain and more affordable for residents and businesses to install, Orange County Government was recently awarded Gold-level recognition from the U.S. Department of Energy-sponsored program known as SolSmart. Orange County is the first County in the state of Florida to receive Gold-level designation for its solar efforts.
To achieve this designation, Orange County optimized its permitting process to speed up approvals, offered the convenience of online permitting and provided specialized training to its plan reviewers and inspectors. Solar permits are typically approved within 24 hours.
SolSmart is a national nonprofit designation and technical assistance program that recognizes leading solar communities and empowers them to expand local solar markets.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)