The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy ("SACE") released its Solar in the Southeast 2017 Annual Report (the "2017 Report") which projects the Southeast region of the United States (including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee) to continue its exponential solar growth, reaching 15,000 MW of solar by 2021. In 2017, the Southeast had just under 6,000 MW of solar power. Currently, North Carolina leads the way with 2,699 MW of solar, followed by Georgia with 1,222 MW and Florida with 839 MW. According to the 2017 Report, Florida utilities are expected to invest heavily in solar power over the coming years, and Florida's solar generation is expected to surpass Georgia's generation by the end of 2018. While the rapid growth of solar in the Southeast is impressive, even if the Southeast reaches the projected 15,000 MW in 2021, solar generation would constitute less than 3% of retail sales. The 2017 Report explains that solar growth in the Southeast is dominated by utility-scale projects, and smaller residential and commercial solar projects are expected to comparatively lag due to the monopoly utility structure in place in most Southeastern states. SACE stresses that the region has immense solar potential, second only to the desert Southwest, and even more solar growth should be encouraged. For more information, see the 2017 Report here.
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