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Commercial Solar EPC in Florida

Ferrius Energy engineers, procures, and builds commercial solar and battery storage for Florida hotels, resorts, and industrial properties, with structural design carried out to the Florida Building Code wind requirements and interconnection handled under the Florida PSC net metering rule, which covers customer-owned systems up to 2 MW. The Florida case is less about state incentives and more about three things: offsetting a large daytime cooling load, surviving a hurricane season, and keeping critical loads running when the grid does not.

This page explains how we approach Florida projects specifically: wind load and High-Velocity Hurricane Zone design, how FPL, Duke Energy Florida, TECO, and municipal or co-op utilities treat on-site generation, where battery backup earns its place, and the state tax treatment that shapes the model.

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Last reviewed: September 2026. Tariff, code, and tax figures change; confirm with the Florida PSC, your utility, the Florida Department of Revenue, and your local building official before relying on them.

Why Florida commercial solar is a load-matching problem

Florida does not have a state renewable portfolio incentive like Massachusetts SMART, and retail rates at the large investor-owned utilities are lower than in New England. What Florida has is a long, hot daytime load curve. A hotel or resort runs chillers, kitchen equipment, laundry, and pool systems through the same hours an array produces, and a distribution warehouse or cold storage building runs refrigeration all afternoon. When production lands on top of consumption, almost every kilowatt-hour offsets a retail purchase instead of being exported.

That is why we size Florida systems to the interval load profile rather than to the maximum the roof can hold. Exported energy is credited under the PSC rule, but any excess left at the end of the year is paid out at the utility's avoided-cost (as-available) rate, which is well below retail. Oversizing looks good on a production report and poorly in an IRR model.

Where the value comes from

Energy offset. Behind-the-meter consumption at the retail energy rate, which is the bulk of the benefit for most hospitality and industrial accounts.
Demand charges, partially. Solar alone rarely reduces billed demand reliably, because a cloud at the wrong 15 or 30 minutes resets the peak. Storage is what makes demand savings dependable. See how peak demand charges are reduced.
Federal tax benefits. The Section 48E credit and 5-year MACRS with 100% bonus depreciation, covered below.
State tax treatment. Sales tax exemption on qualifying solar equipment and an 80% property tax exemption on renewable energy source devices.
Resilience. For a hotel, keeping elevators, life safety, refrigeration, and front desk systems up after a storm has a value that does not show on the utility bill.

Structural Design

Hurricane resilience and wind load design

In Florida the racking and attachment design is the part of the project that deserves the most engineering attention. The Florida Building Code adopts ASCE 7 for wind loads, and rooftop solar arrays are analyzed for uplift and sliding on each roof zone, with corner and edge zones carrying substantially higher pressures than the field. Confirm the code edition and design wind speed in force with the local building department at permit time, since the code is updated on a three-year cycle.

Miami-Dade and Broward counties are designated High-Velocity Hurricane Zones (HVHZ) under the Florida Building Code. In the HVHZ, roofing and attachment components are subject to stricter product approval and testing requirements, and permitting reviews are more demanding. We plan HVHZ projects around approved products from the start instead of substituting later.

Attached vs. ballasted

Ballast-only systems that work on a low-slope roof in Massachusetts often do not pencil in Florida wind zones, because the ballast needed for uplift exceeds the roof's dead load capacity. Most Florida roof arrays end up mechanically attached or hybrid, with every penetration flashed to the roofing manufacturer's details.

Roof condition first

A roof reaching the end of its life in a hurricane market is a liability under an array. We assess the membrane and deck in feasibility and will recommend re-roofing before installation when the remaining life is short.

Carports as an option

Resort and hotel parking can host solar carports, but canopy foundations and steel are designed for full site wind speed and exposure, which drives cost. We price both roof and canopy before recommending one.

Storm protocol

Our operations and maintenance scope for Florida includes pre-season torque and attachment inspections and a post-storm inspection before the system is re-energized.

Florida net metering and the utilities

The Florida Public Service Commission's Rule 25-6.065 governs interconnection and net metering of customer-owned renewable generation at the investor-owned utilities. It sets three tiers: Tier 1 up to 10 kW, Tier 2 above 10 kW up to 100 kW, and Tier 3 above 100 kW up to 2 MW. Most commercial projects fall in Tier 2 or Tier 3, which carry an application fee and insurance requirements set out in each utility's interconnection agreement.

Florida PSC Rule 25-6.065 tiers
Tier	System size (AC)	Typical commercial fit
Tier 1	Up to 10 kW	Rarely commercial
Tier 2	Over 10 kW to 100 kW	Small hotels, retail, offices
Tier 3	Over 100 kW to 2 MW	Resorts, warehouses, manufacturing

FPL's published guidelines also note that a customer system should not produce more than 115% of annual consumption and should stay within 90% of existing service capacity to avoid added interconnection cost. Monthly excess is carried forward as a credit, and unused credit is settled annually at the utility's as-available energy rate. The practical point is the same one we make above: size to consumption.

FPL, Duke Energy Florida, and TECO

Florida Power & Light, Duke Energy Florida, and Tampa Electric (TECO) each apply the PSC rule through their own interconnection agreements and commercial rate schedules. The rate class matters: demand-metered general service and time-of-use schedules change the value of each kilowatt-hour offset and each kilowatt of demand avoided. We model the specific tariff on your meter, not a statewide average.

Municipal utilities and cooperatives

Florida's municipal electric utilities and rural electric cooperatives are not bound by the investor-owned utility version of the rule in the same way, and each sets its own net metering or interconnection policy. Terms vary widely, including how exports are credited. If your property is served by a municipal utility or co-op, we pull that utility's current policy before any sizing work.

Watch item. Net metering policy in Florida has been debated at the legislature and the PSC in recent sessions. Confirm current rule text and your utility's tariff at the time of contract.

Hotel solar and battery backup in Florida

Solar panels for hotels in Florida are rarely a pure bill-savings decision. Owners and asset managers are also asking what happens after a named storm, when the grid is down for days and the property is sheltering staff, insurance adjusters, and utility crews. A grid-tied solar array without storage shuts off during an outage by design. Adding a commercial battery storage system with the right switchgear lets a defined set of critical loads island and run from solar and battery.

Define the critical load panel. Life safety, elevators, IT and PMS, walk-in refrigeration, and a share of lighting and HVAC. Whole-property backup is usually uneconomic.
Coordinate with the generator. Most resorts already have diesel or natural gas generation. Storage can reduce generator runtime and fuel logistics rather than replace the generator.
Site the equipment for flood and wind. Batteries and switchgear go above the design flood elevation, in enclosures rated for the site, with fire code separation per NFPA 855 as adopted locally.
Use it every day. Outside outage events, storage can shave demand peaks and shift solar into evening hours, which improves the economics. See our commercial BESS cost and ROI guide.

Construction on an operating hotel follows the same approach described on our hotel and hospitality solar page: phased work by zone, guest paths kept clear, and one scheduled electrical tie-in, ideally planned for shoulder season.

Tax Treatment

Florida and federal tax treatment

Florida's state-level incentives are tax exemptions rather than rebates, and they apply to commercial systems as well as residential ones.

Sales tax exemption

Sections 212.02 and 212.08(7)(hh), Florida Statutes, exempt solar energy system equipment from sales and use tax, including collectors, power conditioning, and storage used in the system. The purchaser certifies the equipment is for exclusive use in a solar energy system.

Property tax exemption

Section 196.182 exempts 80% of the assessed value of renewable energy source devices on nonresidential property from ad valorem tax. The statute currently expires December 31, 2037. Confirm filing requirements with your county property appraiser.

No state personal income tax

Florida has no personal income tax, so there is no state credit to stack. Pass-through owners capture the federal benefits only. C corporations remain subject to Florida corporate income tax, which generally follows federal depreciation with adjustments; your tax advisor should confirm treatment.

Federal Section 48E

Base credit of 6%, rising to 30% for projects under 1 MW AC or that meet prevailing wage and apprenticeship. Solar projects that began construction on or before July 4, 2026 are not subject to the 2027 placed-in-service deadline (subject to continuity rules); projects beginning after that date must be placed in service by December 31, 2027. Details in our federal ITC guide.

Add 5-year MACRS with 100% bonus depreciation, made permanent in 2025, and a Florida project's economics depend mostly on the federal side and on how well the system matches the load. Our commercial solar payback guide and financing options cover the modeling.

How a Florida project runs with Ferrius

Feasibility. Twelve months of interval data, tariff review, roof and structural review, and a preliminary wind design check. We tell you if the answer is re-roof first or do not build.
Engineering. Signed and sealed structural and electrical drawings to the Florida Building Code, with HVHZ product approvals where applicable.
Interconnection. Tier 2 or Tier 3 application to FPL, Duke, TECO, or the municipal or co-op utility, with any required insurance documentation.
Construction. In-house commercial solar EPC with phased scheduling around occupancy and hurricane season.
Operations. Monitoring, preventive maintenance, and post-storm inspections.

Before signing with any installer, the questions in our guide to choosing a commercial solar contractor apply in Florida with extra weight on wind engineering credentials.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

What is the largest commercial solar system that can net meter in Florida?

Under Florida PSC Rule 25-6.065, customer-owned renewable systems up to 2 MW can interconnect and net meter with investor-owned utilities. Systems above 100 kW fall in Tier 3. Municipal utilities and cooperatives set their own policies, so confirm terms with your utility.

Can rooftop solar survive a Florida hurricane?

A properly engineered system is designed for the site's code wind speed under ASCE 7 as adopted by the Florida Building Code, with higher pressures at roof corners and edges. In Miami-Dade and Broward, High-Velocity Hurricane Zone product approval rules also apply. Roof condition and attachment detailing matter as much as the racking itself.

Will solar keep my hotel running during a power outage?

Not by itself. Grid-tied solar shuts down when the grid goes down. Adding battery storage and islanding switchgear allows a defined critical load panel to keep operating, usually coordinated with the property's existing generator.

Does Florida charge sales tax or property tax on commercial solar?

Qualifying solar energy system equipment is exempt from Florida sales and use tax under Section 212.08(7)(hh). Section 196.182 exempts 80% of the assessed value of renewable energy source devices on nonresidential property from property tax, currently through December 31, 2037.

What happens to excess solar production in Florida?

Monthly excess is credited forward against future bills. Credit remaining at the annual settlement is paid at the utility's as-available energy rate, which is much lower than retail. That is why we size Florida systems to on-site consumption.

Sources

Florida Administrative Code, Rule 25-6.065, Interconnection and Metering of Customer-Owned Renewable Generation. flrules.org
Florida Power & Light, Net Metering Guidelines. fpl.com
Florida Statutes, Section 196.182, Exemption of renewable energy source devices. leg.state.fl.us
Florida Department of Revenue, Solar Energy Systems Sales and Use Tax Exemption (TIP 19A01-09). floridarevenue.com
Florida Building Commission, Florida Building Code. floridabuilding.org
Internal Revenue Service, Clean Electricity Investment Credit (Section 48E). irs.gov

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