North Carolina may not hold our spot as #2 in the nation in solar energy development much longer. A new report projects Florida will surpass our state’s solar generation in 2021.

The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE) just released its third annual report on the development of solar power in the southeastern United States. Overall, it contains good news. Solar energy continues its rise in absolute generation and in percentage of our region’s total electric supply production. 

However, there’s some disappointment too, for those of us proud of North Carolina’s historic second-in-the-nation status for total installed solar capacity. According to the SACE report, it looks like Florida is set to jump past us next year.

New and of special concern to Old North State fans is an unexpected development. South Carolina is also soon supposed to overtake us in installed solar capacity per customer. Last year, our neighbors to the south took a major policy step forward in adopting their Energy Freedom Act. 

Our General Assembly can do something about this by supporting a bill to get us to 100% clean energy by 2050. Tell your legislators to support Clean Energy for All!

Our U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis can act even sooner. Over 26,000 clean energy jobs have been lost during the economic downturn. But instead of pushing for relief for these small homegrown businesses, Tillis asked the Trump Administration to bail out Big Oil instead. Tell Tillis to help North Carolina’s clean energy economy in the currently ongoing COVID relief negotiations!