Fifty-six businesses and residences have signed up for Gainesville's solar feed-in tariff, with UF possibly adding one building to the list.
Gainesville Regional Utilities has surpassed its 2009 and 2010 four-megawatt cap, resulting in a waiting list for the program. The cap was put in place to prevent increasing energy bills by more than 1 percent.
On March 1, GRU launched its solar feed-in tariff, the first U.S. program of its kind to offer a long-term contract and a guaranteed price for energy produced. Customers signing onto the tariff invest in their own solar panels to generate electricity and sell energy directly to GRU under 20-year contracts at a fixed price.
For participating homeowners, energy bills increase about 93 cents per month, with the money going toward the $1.5 million program. They are compensated for their involvement, receiving as much as 32 cents for every kilowatt generated.
GRU solar project coordinator Rachel Meek said UF might sign a new off-campus building up for the program.
"We don't have any paperwork from them yet, but we have talked," Meek said.
Construction at the eligible building, located at UF's Eastside campus on Waldo Road, is scheduled to begin in about two months and should be complete in a year, said Ed Poppell, UF's vice president of business affairs.
"We're exploring everything," Poppell said. "We want to do as much solar as possible."
The energy on UF's main campus is currently provided by Progress Energy, which Poppell said is willing to buy any solar energy produced by the university.
In an average year, UF spends about $38 million on electricity and uses 75 megawatts, according to UF's Web site.
One of UF's setbacks for introducing more solar panels is the lack of upfront money, but Poppell said the university is addressing this by working with companies that specialize in solar manufacturing and installation.
Additionally, on-campus buildings aren't good candidates for solar energy due to shade created by UF's landscaping.
Meek said that interested businesses include Stoneridge Apartments, Gainesville Tire Services and several storage facilities.
"It's been a broad variety of customers," she said. "It's kind of all over the place."
But interested customers shouldn't be discouraged, Meek said. They might be able to sign up sooner than they think because businesses and residences could be bumped higher on the list if participants don't meet time constraints on solar panel construction.
