A while back I made a post asking why the Academy Scientifica-Lucidus was experiencing an energy crisis and I think I cracked to code.
It’s air conditioning. That’s what takes up so much of their power. They have two giant glass pyramids that not only get sun all day (and mind you this is in Florida is the amount of sun they get is a LOT. It’s called the Sunshine State for a VERY good reason), but that also means that there is little to none insulation, so the temperature likely isn’t very stable. Also since there are scientific experiments going on there are at least a few that likely need serious temperature control.
More importantly the Academy has the baffling uniforms that consist of a long sleeved shirt, a jacket, and long pants. So, air conditioning would absolutely be essential in order to prevent anyone getting heat stroke or heat exhaustion, since the heat in Florida is no joke. My air conditioning once broke and my house had to be evacuated temporarily until it could be fixed, because the heat is just that much of a danger.
Also the power for air conditioning is a lot. I have to say that about 70% of my energy bill is for air conditioning. I would bet that the energy bill for the Academy looks very similar, and they likely would rather spend their money on experiments rather than air conditioning, which is why they were looking for an alternative energy source.