Solar Industry Shining in Georgia

As I write this, Georgia was just named the Top State for Doing Business by Area Development magazine for the 10th consecutive year. What an exciting time to be in Georgia – our reputation for good business seems to grow exponentially.

Some of the fiscal reasons that contribute to that great climate are discussed in this month’s pages. One element discussed in our energy story is the reliability of Georgia’s grid and power supply. The successful launch of the new Plant Vogtle reactor has been a massive influence on company decisions to expand or locate business operations in the state. Georgia is also ahead of the pack in renewable energy efforts, which have contributed to a cottage industry revolving around sustainable options, with more expansion potential reflecting federal policy.

Georgia has a particularly healthy solar industry, ranking third behind Florida and North Carolina in the seven-state region in 2022, according to a 2023 Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE) report. Georgia Power and Oglethorpe Power are both in the top 10 solar providers in the Southeast. Walton EMC in Northeast Georgia has the highest solar-to-customer ratio in the region, in part thanks to a successful collaboration with Meta to use solar to power its Newton County data center.

In Northwest Georgia, Qcells is building a new 3.3-gigawatt plant near Cartersville and adding another 2.1 gigawatts of capacity to its plant in Dalton, citing domestic manufacturing incentives in its reasons for expansion, which is estimated to bring 2,500 jobs. The $2.5 billion investment is expected to bring its total solar production capacity in Georgia to 8.4 gigawatts by 2024 and increase its total number of employees to more than 4,000.

Tennessee company Silicon Ranch has invested $3 billion in solar farms in Georgia, creating 6,500 jobs and 1,950 MWac (megawatt altering current), the power equivalent of 300,000 homes annually.

Founded in Atlanta in 2007, Radiance Solar operates solar farms throughout Georgia, including Ashton, Woodland, Camilla, Arlington and Montezuma and was ranked the No. 1 commercial and industrial (C&I) installer in 2022 by Solar Power World.

There are policy proposals to make Georgia solar even more robust. Net metering, a program that credits solar customers for their excess energy, was capped at 5,000 and has been full since 2021. Solar advocates are pushing to expand the program, which can dramatically lower bills and increase the incentive for rooftop solar. James Marlow, founder of Radiance and president of Southface, recently noted the potential for increasing rooftop solar on manufacturing and distribution centers.

Solar farms are great, says Marlow, but ideally solar panels should be as close to where the electricity will be used as possible to reduce energy loss and the need for intrusive, connective infrastructure. Georgia is approaching 1 billion square feet of warehouse space and counting. But the five-year leases typical of such facilities make the decision of leasing companies to pony up the installation fees less palatable. A solution to this challenge would be transformative for the state.

Southern company has a number of programs for businesses including the Simple Solar program for those who use less than 100,000 kwh per month, which matches either 50% or 100% of customers’ electric energy usage with solar Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) and then retires them on behalf of the customer, giving them the ability to claim the renewable benefits.

It also offers the Clean And Renewable Energy Subscription (CARES) program allowing C&I customers to participate in power purchase agreements for subscription, as the power company procures 2,100 megawatts of renewable resources. And, through the Customer-Connected Solar Program, if a customer wishes to partner with any solar developer to build a solar facility on or adjacent to their property, Georgia Power will purchase 100% of the energy generated and retire the credits on the customer’s behalf. There are “behind the meter” solar programs to connect systems to solar resources and a monthly Community Solar subscription for small businesses to receive energy credits in bills based on the amount of energy produced at Georgia Power solar farms. And the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority expects to have a number of programs available in 2024 to help make solar conversion more affordable.

While the SACE reports that Georgia will likely overtake North Carolina in 2023, both North Carolina and Florida offer more robust state and local incentives for solar installation. For all our success, we can do better.