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It seems all things electrical are up for discussion on Marco Island these days.

Coal prices doubling and oil prices skyrocketing have people looking high and low for alternatives.

These two main sources of electricity, coal and oil, have been the leading factors in Florida Power & Light’s recent 16 percent average rate increase and Lee County Electric Cooperative’s approximate five percent rate increase coming to customers’ bills this July.

One island businessman, Gary Elliott of Marco-based Solar Power & Light, has a few propositions to make.

“This is the Sunshine State after all. The price of sunshine is cheap,” he said.

Elliott has been discussing the viability of solar power generation on the island’s city and county owned properties. Public Works Director Rony Joel said he would like to hear more about what Elliott has to say.

“This is where leadership really comes into the game. We can burn all the oil in one generation or two and say ‘it’s not my problem.’ But someone has to be on top of this,” Elliott said.

While the price of the sunshine is cheap, some of the materials used to create solar power are still somewhat costly.

“Solar generation is feasible but cost prohibitive. We are working on identifying grants and other funding alternatives that may make this feasible,” Joel said, regarding using solar on city owned properties.

State rebates, Federal tax credits, grants and the ability to sell one’s excess electricity back to power companies at the retail rate are all ways to get a faster return on that initial investment.

“The first movers on solar will get the gifts from the government,” Elliott said, adding that once enough people go solar state and federal agencies will likely remove most of the incentives.

In May, Florida changed the way customers with excess electricity could sell their power back to the power company. Initially they could only sell it for less than the going rate of electricity, now they can sell it back to the utility at the same rate with net metering. Net metering allows the electric meters to actually spin backwards if more electricity is being generated than used. The utility now pays the customer, or reduces their bill proportionately, at the same rate they charge customers for the electricity.

“It’s not likely that you could replace all the electricity in a home with solar,” Elliott said.

Two properties that Elliott considered for the practicality of solar power are Tract K, the possible site of a future solar demonstration and educational museum, and Charter Middle School, both properties of the Collier County School District.

“The school (Charter Middle) for example could save half of their electric bill with solar panels on the roof,” Elliott said.

Even with the electric bill savings, Elliott said one of the most costly aspects of the solar electricity is the thin photovoltaic (PV) film which he said currently has a higher demand than manufacturers are keeping up with.

The PV panels are often made of silicon, one of the most commonly occurring minerals on earth. The silicon has wires running through it, and is encased in tempered glass. This panel is usually very durable, and can often outlast regular roofing, according to the Department of Environmental Protection’s Web site.

When light hits the silicon in the panel, electric current is generated and channeled through the embedded wires. The panels do not need to move, make no sound and need no fuel other than the sun’s rays.

Federal Investment Tax Credits and grants such as the $8.5 million recently received by Florida Gulf Coast University from the state can help fund solar projects and offset the current costs of the PV film and construction.

Joel said the City of Marco Island spends over $2 million on electricity every year. Although an alternative energy plan has not yet been created for the city, officials are working on creating one.

“We are looking at hydroelectric generation and solar generation. We have not included any funding for this in our current five year capital program yet,” Joel said.

He added that he is “interested in Gary Elliot’s product,” adding that the city hopes to get more technical information to evaluate solar energy projects with Elliott over the next few months.

Elliott has joined the city’s ad hoc committee evaluating the municipalization of the electric system. While alternative energy sources will not be the focus of the committee, the feasibility of alternative energy may play a role further in the decision making process.

Tract K’s energy production, if that project were to continue with the school district, may produce energy that could potentially be sold to the city, Elliott said.

The city is still looking for additional volunteers to help staff with the municipalization study of the current electric system and if they are interested they should contact Public Works Director Rony Joel at rjoel@cityofmarcoisland.com.

For additional information on solar electricity on Marco Island contact Gary Elliott of Solar Power & Light at (239) 642-6049 or gary@futurefriendlyenergy.com.