Earlier this month the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE) released its annual report on solar power data, trends, and expansion throughout the Southeast. The aptly named “Solar in the Southeast 2018” report highlights the industry’s growth across the region, providing detailed information at the regional, state, and utility level.
Overall, the Southeast exceeded 8,000 megawatts (MW) of solar capacity in 2018, with a forecast of 17,000 MW by 2021. Georgia, and specifically its largest energy provider, Georgia Power, remain among the regional leaders in solar power. Georgia Power provided 426 watts of solar per customer in 2018, well above the Southeastern average of 269, and the state average of 280. By 2022 the company, thanks to an aggressive solar expansion plan, is expected to provide a whopping 809 solar watts per customer.
But it’s not all good news.
Neighboring states, most notably Florida and South Carolina, have passed laws loosening solar regulations that have seen their numbers surge in recent years. On its current track, Georgia would fall behind the Southeastern average for solar watts per customer by 2022.
The state’s Public Service Commission plans to ensure that doesn’t happen.
“While reports show our dominance in solar slipping by 2021, I anticipate the Public Service Commission adding a gigawatt, possibly two gigawatts, keeping us near the top of the list,” Public Service Commissioner Tim Echols told the Associated Press last week. In 2012 the PSC directed Georgia Power to develop its Advanced Solar Initiative, which led to the solar growth that has the Peach State near the top of the region. In 2019 Georgia Power is preparing its Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), which will contain another solar push, this time to add 950 megawatts of utility scale and 50 megawatts of distributed (rooftop) solar.
Commissioner Jason Shaw, the newest member of the PSC, is another big proponent of solar expansion. “At this point, we have heard from Georgia Power Co. and look forward to hearing more from the various interveners,” he said. “Georgia has been a leader in the solar market and I look for that to continue as long as it makes sense for ratepayers.”
But if Georgia really wants to remain an industry leader in solar, particularly in developing markets like rooftop solar, it needs help from the state legislature. South Carolina legislators are working to extend net metering, a billing mechanism that credits solar energy system owners for the electricity they add to the grid. The Florida PSC and its utilities are advancing shared solar programs to make it easier for interested customers to start generating their own electricity.
The Atlanta City Council in March announced its plan to have all city facilities operating on clean energy by 2035 – a big ask, but one that may just fit in with the state’s continued push for solar power.
