SC solar and renewable energy initiatives are on the rise in the Palmetto state.
Homeowners and businesses alike are switching to solar energy in South Carolina in order to save money on utility bills as well as lower their carbon footprints on the environment. TIG Sun Energy completed a SC solar panel farm back in 2013 which was enough to power 325 homes. On top of that, SC’s major commercial retailers including Boeing and Target have already made the switch to solar.
According to SC’s Clean Energy Business Alliance (SCCEBA), SC’s clean energy & solar programs are raising the bar in all areas of the industry:
- 18,000+ full-time jobs have been provided by nearly 350 clean energy firms increasing by 110% since 2015.
- The annual gross income from SC clean energy increased by 41%: $2.7 billion in 2015 to $3.8 billion in 2016 and solar energy pulled in a whopping $447.9 million dollars in revenue in 2016.
- Around 195 clean energy firms worked in SC in 2015 which increased to 350, or 79%, by 2016.
South Carolina’s clean energy industry is not just limited to solar, but also includes wind power, biofuels, energy storage, alternative fuel vehicles, smart grid, geothermal, hydropower, and building efficiency.
Building efficiency makes up the mass of the market in both clean energy firms and clean energy employment in the state and it, along w/ other clean energy efforts, are becoming major benefactors to SC’s economy.
SCCEBA is pushing for Commercial-Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) legislation in the SC state house in the hopes to provide new financing opportunities for clean energy building upgrades, increase value to energy efficient commercial properties, decrease costs and stimulate cash flow for building owners, and boost local economies by increasing occupancy rates and property values. The bill has made it to the House of Representatives, but still has more work to do in the 2018 legislation.
As the clean energy rates fall and businesses and homeowners alike continue to switch to solar, clean and renewable energy jobs and legislation efforts will continue to grow in not only South Carolina but also across the entire globe.