The CEO of Vinyasun and immediate past President of the FlaSEIA (Florida Solar Energy Industries Association) – Justin Hoysradt has been named one of Florida’s ‘500 Most Influential Business Leaders 2021‘. The selection process weighed on hundreds of interviews across business circles, giving this list not only the prestige of accomplishment but an accurate geo-local guide to the movers and shakers who drive the economic development engine of Florida.
Background
After graduating from the University of Central Florida (Go Knights!!), where he majored in information technology, he entered the solar power industry with the vision to deploy rooftop solar at scale in the most obvious of places, the Sunshine State.
The vision was quickly met with regulatory roadblocks. Going solar in the Sunshine State was not as easy as it theoretically could have been. He began to understand that while solar water heating and pool heating were a welcome technology, being a solar electric contractor meant big politics in Florida.
After several years of chasing failed state funded and utility funded incentives that were clearly unsustainable to grow solar he sought out opportunities in more progressive green energy states. That journey led him to an unlikely path, securing a position at Vote Solar, a grassroots non-profit dedicated to policy maker education and removing the regulatory roadblocks that keep solar from scaling.
Through this effort Justin worked with a broad coalition consisting of the largest solar energy companies, utilities, and environmental advocacy groups to educate policy makers on the impact of clean energy jobs on Florida’s economy.
A Step Forward
Republican policy makers quickly understood that Florida’s solar jobs engine was being negatively impacted by unfair and high property taxes. Lawmakers quickly took action and placed the tax changes on the ballot and the constitutional measure was overwhelmingly approved by Floridians at the voting booth (Ballotpedia).
In 2017, Florida SB90, officially changed the Florida constitution, marking a reduction in commercial solar taxation paving the way for solar jobs growth in Florida, while also creating a new set of consumer protections for Floridians making renewable energy purchase investments, and entering into long term loan and lease agreements.
The State of Solar Energy in Florida
Solar energy in Florida represents a massive deal and a huge opportunity. $9.6 billion in the form of investments continues to improve Florida’s quality of business and solar energy supply. As one of the US States that is the farthest South Florida earns its name as the Sunshine State. The State of Florida has a 7074 MW production and output of solar energy, and that number is only going to grow. Due to the bountiful sunshine, a 5kWh home solar array, which costs around $15K, can produce $30-$40K worth of energy over its 20+ year lifecycle.
Right now, Solar represents just less than 4% of the total energy produced in Florida. However, home solar will continue to grow thanks to the efforts of business leaders such as Justin Hoysradt. His contribution to the solar industry in Florida has helped Florida produce enough solar energy to power over 800,000 homes. These accolades helped Justin find his name on the Florida 500 Most Influential Business Leaders list published by Florida Trend Magazine in 2021.
CLICK HERE to read complete list of Florida Trend’s “500 Most Influential Business Leaders,”
Further Reading & Resources
[1] https://www.electricrate.com/solar-energy/florida/
[2] https://floridatrend500.com/energy/justin-hoysradt/
[3] https://floridatrend500.com/
