Dive Brief:
- South Carolina Electric & Gas (SCE&G) reached an agreement with consumer and renewables advocates on a $37 million program to get 84.5 MW of solar on the state's grid by 2021, the Charlotte Business Journal reports. The deal includes 42 MW of utility-scale solar and 42 MW of residential, commercial-industrial, and community solar.
- Through the agreement with the S.C. Office of Regulatory Staff, the Coastal Conservation League, the Southern Environmental Law Center, and the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, SCE&G will also offer community shared solar programs and incentives of up to $0.04 per kWh through 2020 for customer-owned solar projects of up to 20 kW that send the solar generated electricity back to the utility’s grid.
- Duke Energy reached a settlement with such groups two weeks ago on a similar program that will cost about $69 million and add 53 MW of utility-scale solar and 53 MW of residential and commercial solar to its two South Carolina utilities’ portfolios. In all, the two deals will add more than 190 MW of solar in the state.
Dive Insight:
The South Carolina Public Service Commission recently approved a separate settlement agreement between Duke Energy Carolinas, South Carolina Electric & Gas (SCE&G) and the environmental and ratepayer advocates allowing rooftop solar owners to get retail rate net energy metering reimbursement for electricity their systems send to the grid.
All these agreements go toward meeting Act 236, passed in 2014 after a consultation process involving the same stakeholders. Act 236 also legalizes third party ownership of solar, requires leasing companies to be certified by the state, and limits the size of leased residential systems installed by companies like SolarCity and Sunrun.
Act 236 was the product of a South Carolina General Assembly-created Energy Advisory Council composed of environmentalists, solar advocates, and utilities and electric cooperatives. The process is seen by many as a model for progress on solar policy issues.
