North Carolina 4th in nation for solar

North Carolina ranks 4th in the nation for overall solar power generation in 2021, according to a new online dashboard created by Environment North Carolina Research & Policy Center and Frontier Group.

North Carolina has seen a 56-fold increase in the amount of electricity it gets from the sun since 2012. 

At an online event to introduce this new tool, Katie Craig, state director with NCPIRG Education Fund said “North Carolinans can look forward to a cleaner, healthier future, thanks to our state’s leadership in solar power.” 

Referring to the recently passed federal Inflation Reduction Act which extends tax credits for solar, Joel Porter, Policy Manager at CleanAIRE NC said, “Between steps our state is making and steps the federal government has made, we now have a chance to meet the climate challenge head on.”

The Renewables on the Rise 2022 analysis comes almost one year after Governor Cooper signed into law the first decarbonization targets for the state with the passage of HB951. Additionally, this data comes just as clean energy advocates across the state are calling on the NC Utilities Commission and Duke Energy to rely more on proven clean energy technologies, like those highlighted in the report, to meet those goals quickly and safely.