Miami-Dade Legislative Item
File Number: 191006
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File Number: 191006 File Type: Resolution Status: Adopted
Version: 0 Reference: R-611-19 Control: Board of County Commissioners
File Name: EXPLORE FLOATING SOLAR POWER PLANTS Introduced: 4/15/2019
Requester: NONE Cost: Final Action: 6/4/2019
Agenda Date: 6/4/2019 Agenda Item Number: 11A3
Notes: Title: RESOLUTION DIRECTING THE COUNTY MAYOR OR DESIGNEE TO ASSESS THE FEASIBILITY OF DEVELOPING FLOATING SOLAR POWER PLANTS ON WATER BODIES IN MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, AND TO PROVIDE A REPORT
Indexes: PLANT
  SOLAR ENERGY
Sponsors: Daniella Levine Cava, Prime Sponsor
  Esteban L. Bovo, Jr., Co-Sponsor
  Eileen Higgins, Co-Sponsor
  Barbara J. Jordan, Co-Sponsor
Sunset Provision: No Effective Date: Expiration Date:
Registered Lobbyist: None Listed


Legislative History

Acting Body Date Agenda Item Action Sent To Due Date Returned Pass/Fail

Board of County Commissioners 6/4/2019 11A3 Adopted P

Infrastructure & Capital Improvements Committee 5/14/2019 2A Forwarded to BCC with a favorable recommendation P
REPORT: The title of the foregoing proposed resolution was read into the record by Assistant County Attorney Michael Mastrucci. Commissioner Levine Cava as Prime Sponsor, spoke in support of the foregoing proposed resolution. She thanked Commissioners Sosa and Bovo, Jr. for bringing an item regarding Solar installation to Miami-Dade County, property located near the Miami International AirPort. She stated the U.S. Department of Energy identified South Florida as a good area with the opportunity to grow this energy, and explained the benefit of floating solar was to repurpose artificial lakes. Commissioner Levine Cava requested the County Administration to review this item to research if there were any regulatory issues that would causes delays or prevent the approval of this item. Commissioner Martinez requested Deputy Mayor Jack Osterholt to ensure the feasibility report due to the County Commission would include information regarding the environmental effects floating solar would have on the environment (the loss of vegetation and recreation activities) as a result from covering lakes and waterways. There being no further questions or comments, the Committee proceeded to vote on the foregoing proposed resolution as presented.

County Attorney 4/15/2019 Referred Infrastructure & Capital Improvements Committee 5/14/2019

County Attorney 4/15/2019 Assigned James Eddie Kirtley 4/15/2019

Legislative Text


TITLE
RESOLUTION DIRECTING THE COUNTY MAYOR OR DESIGNEE TO ASSESS THE FEASIBILITY OF DEVELOPING FLOATING SOLAR POWER PLANTS ON WATER BODIES IN MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, AND TO PROVIDE A REPORT

BODY
WHEREAS, Miami-Dade County has a history of supporting policies to improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions; and
WHEREAS, for example, on December 14, 1993, this Board unanimously approved a plan entitled �A Long Term CO2 Emissions Reduction Plan for Miami-Dade County,� which calls for various goals to reduce CO2 emissions countywide; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to Resolution No. R-1431-08, the County became a signatory to the National Association of Counties� (NaCo) �Cool Counties Climate Stabilization Declaration,� and pledged to reduce countywide CO2 emissions by 80 percent by 2050; and
WHEREAS, solar energy is the most viable renewable energy source available within Miami-Dade County; and
WHEREAS, maximizing the opportunities for solar power generation through rooftop and utility scale solar will be critical to Miami-Dade County�s energy future; and
WHEREAS, floating solar power plants present a unique opportunity in Miami-Dade County, where many artificially created lakes may provide an environmentally acceptable place to offer utility scale solar solutions; and
WHEREAS, floating solar power plants are becoming increasingly popular around the world because their unique design may address multiple efficiency and urban planning issues, including protecting open space and farmland; and
WHEREAS, floating power plant systems can shade the water and reduce evaporation by up to 70 percent, meaning that a single three-acre storage pond covered with solar panels could save over four million gallons of water each year; and
WHEREAS, because the solar power plants are situated on water instead of land, the cooler air at the surface also helps to minimize the risk of solar cell performance atrophy, which is often related to long-term exposure to warmer temperatures, meaning that the solar equipment itself may enjoy a longer life; and
WHEREAS, in recent years, large-scale floating solar power plants have been brought on line and opened in Turkey and China; and
WHEREAS, floating solar power plants are also currently being installed at the utility-scale in the United Kingdom, China, Japan, Korea, and Thailand, and tested in the Netherlands, Taiwan, and Singapore, among other countries; and
WHEREAS, according to one recent report, the global floating power plant market is expected to grow from an estimated�$889.6 million�in 2017 to�$1.44 billion�by 2022; and
WHEREAS, a 2019 report by the US Department of Energy National Renewable Energy Laboratory, entitled �Floating PV: Assessing the Technical Potential of Photovoltaic Systems on Man-Made Water Bodies in the Continental U.S.,� identified significant potential for floating solar power plants within the United States; and
WHEREAS, floating solar power plants present an emerging renewable energy opportunity for Miami-Dade County; and
WHEREAS, accordingly, this Board wishes for an assessment to be undertaken as to the feasibility of developing floating solar power plants here,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, that this Board directs the County Mayor or designee to assess the feasibility of developing floating solar power plants on water bodies in Miami-Dade County, and to provide a report. Such report shall address, at a minimum, the potential for floating solar power plants to be placed on artificially created water bodies, such as rock mine lakes and other disconnected water bodies throughout Miami-Dade County, as well as explore opportunities to streamline regulatory reviews, and foster private sector competition to facilitate the deployment of floating solar power plants here. The report shall be provided to this Board within 180 days of the effective date of this resolution, and shall be placed on an agenda of the Board pursuant to Ordinance No. 14-65.



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