Solar Equipment Certification

August 09, 2017

Summary

Under the Solar Energy Standards Act of 1976, the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) is responsible for certifying all solar equipment sold in Florida, unless the equipment has been otherwise certified by a licensed engineer to meet the standards in Florida's most recent building code. 

A manufacturer who wishes to have their solar equipment certified first contacts FSEC for an application and requests that FSEC test samples of the product at random. Equipment is then subjected to a series of tests in order to be approved or denied certification. Standards and applications procedures for specific technologies are available on the FSEC website.

Periodically, FSEC will retest solar equipment to maintain quality control, and FSEC will make facility inspections every two to four years, where feasible. For more details about the testing methodology for both PV collectors and thermal equipment, see the program web site above.


Program Overview

Implementing Sector: State
Category: Regulatory Policy
State: Florida
Incentive Type: Equipment Certification
Web Site: http://www.fsec.ucf.edu/en/certification-testing/index.htm
Administrator:
Start Date:
Eligible Renewable/Other Technologies:
  • Solar Water Heat
  • Solar Photovoltaics

Authorities

Name: Fla. Stat. § 377.705
Date Enacted: 1976
Effective Date: 1976
Name: H.B. 1021
Date Enacted: 06/23/2017
Effective Date: 07/01/2017

Contact

Name: Joe Walters
Organization: Florida Solar Energy Center
Address: 1679 Clearlake Road
Cocoa FL 32922-5703
Phone: (321) 638-1438
Email: jwalters@fsec.ucf.edu

This information is sourced from DSIRE; the most comprehensive source of information on incentives and policies that support renewables and energy efficiency in the United States. Established in 1995, DSIRE is operated by the N.C. Clean Energy Technology Center at N.C. State University.