Dive Brief:

• The Southeast gets about 6% of its power from renewables, compared with 12% nationally. But when looking only at non-hydroelectric resources the gap narrows to 4% for the Southeast and 5% nationally, according to a report by the American Council on Renewable Energy.
• Not counting hydro, Oklahoma and Texas, home to massive wind farms, have 70% of the renewable capacity among the Southeastern states surveyed. Kentucky is at the bottom with 115 MW on non-hydro renewables.
• Meanwhile, a bill has been introduced in the Georgia Legislature that would allow third-party solar leasing.

Dive Insight:

The Southeast generally lags on renewables (only North Carolina, Texas and West Virginia have binding renewable portfolio standards). On the positive side, there's room for growth. Georgia aims to add 800 MW of solar by 2016 and North Carolina saw the second most solar installed last year among all states. Allowing solar leasing in Georgia would help, too.

“While the region, as a whole, lags behind national development trends, a few Southeastern states have emerged as hotspots for growth,” the report said. “As they attract investment and new renewable generation, their neighbors should see little reason not to follow suit.”