Dive Brief:

• The chief environmental regulator in North Carolina wants the state to put limits on solar installations and consider incentives for new nuclear generation, telling the Energy Policy Council, "we have to put our big boy pants on."
• WRAL reports that Secretary of Environmental Quality Donald van der Vaart wants the council to recommend that state permits be required for solar farms, giving the government final say on whether a landowner can lease land for a solar farm.
• A second proposal would incentivize new nuclear plants by adding nuclear generation to the state's clean energy standard.
• But solar advocates say they were not consulted and are pushing back; the council delayed a vote until March based on concerns over how the changes would impact clean energy jobs.

Dive Insight:

March could see some major changes in how North Carolina handles solar installations and nuclear generation growth. 

WRAL reports that members of the North Carolina Energy Policy Council's last meeting delayed a vote on the two controversial proposals aimed at incentivizing nuclear generation and managing solar installation growth. 

"We are a huge solar state, and we have to put our big boy pants on and treat it as such," Secretary of Environmental Quality Donald van der Vaart told the Energy Policy Council. Since tax incentives were given to help utilities meet their renewable goals, solar has grown quickly in North Carolina. The state now ranks fourth nationally for installed solar capacity, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association.

Van der Vaart said the leasing changes would help protect landowners from being taken advantage of by solar companies. 

Strata Solar Senior VP Brian O'Hara told WRAL the industry was not consulted on the possible changes. "We've learned lot as an industry over the last couple of years," O'Hara said. "We've grown dramatically, and there is a forum for looking at best practices around permitting, but I think that forum should include all the stakeholders."

A second proposal would allow incentives for new nuclear generation via the state's clean energy standard. 

While the South Atlantic states have lagged on solar installations, nationally, North Carolina has installed almost 1.5 GW. Georgia, for a regional comparison, comes in second with 250 MW.

North Carolina has a 12.5% renewables by 2021 mandate which has helped the industry to grow quickly. The mandate includes a requirement that 0.2% of the 12.5% must be solar and must be installed by 2018. It is expected to drive nearly 1 GW of new installed capacity in 2016.