TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- Florida can reduce its consumption of fossil fuel-produced electricity by nearly half over the next 15 years through conservation and renewable energies, a study released Monday said.
A lack of concern and foresight has put Florida behind other states in adapting to energy challenges, but an aggressive shift in policy can cut traditional electricity use by 45 percent by 2023, said Neal Elliott, a director at the Washington-based American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, which released the report.
"Florida has not been one of the progressive states in terms of energy policy with respect to efficiency or renewable energy," Elliott said. "We suggest that this is a real opportunity to set the state on a more sustainable economic and environmental path in the future."
Florida currently produces most of its electricity with nonrenewable fuels such as petroleum, nuclear, coal and natural gas energy. It only gets 0.1 percent of its electricity from renewable resources, compared to a national average of 2.3 percent, the study said.
The state's electricity consumption is growing faster than its population because of widespread use of devices like cell phones and high-definition TVs, Elliott said.
Florida can conserve energy by 19 percent -- balancing out rising demand -- by enacting stricter building energy codes and providing incentives to utility companies to promote consumer energy efficiency, Elliott said.
Elliot also urged the state to spend $250 million to $350 million a year for 15 years to promote energy conservation and renewable energy.
The state provided a sales-tax holiday last year for high energy-efficiency appliances and Gov. Charlie Crist called for a repeat this year in his budget recommendation.
To promote renewable energy, the state should mandate that utilities produce 5 percent of their power by using renewable fuels, the study recommended.
Elliott said although, officials have not focused on wind and solar energy as some other states, like Texas, but experts say it is well-positioned to convert sugarcane and waste materials into ethanol. Ethanol has been promoted as an alternative motor fuel, but can also be used to produce electricity.
Crist's recommended spending $68 million on alternative energy, including $50 million on ethanol and biodiesel projects. The Florida House wants to spend around $100 million in total. Elliott said Crist's proposal lacked focus in the area of energy efficiency.
House Committee on Energy Chairman Rep. Bob Allen, R-Merritt Island, agreed with the study but said it's unlikely the state will spend what Elliott recommended.
"We're going to do it within our means but it's certainly more of a priority than it was last year," Allen said.
He also agreed Florida needs to promote energy efficient building codes.
"As we harden our homes for storms and tornadoes and hurricanes, we need to build them energy wise," he said. "If you have really thick storm windows you've also got good energy windows."
While Florida's high growth presents it with more challenges than many other states, California has provided an example by reducing its energy consumption 1.7 percent a year with conservation measures alone, Elliott said.
There is "a willingness to entertain these opportunities that I haven't seen before in the state of Florida," he said.
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