Full Credit for South Carolina Solar Customers: Net Metering Settlement Agreement Approved

Charleston, S.C. — The South Carolina Public Service Commission has approved a settlement agreement reached by utilities and conservation groups, confirming that solar customers in the Palmetto State will receive full credit on their utility bills for the solar power they deliver to the grid. 

“We applaud the Public Service Commission’s approval of this historic agreement that allows South Carolinians to tap our state’s vast solar potential,” said Blan Holman of the Southern Environmental Law Center. “We are about to see a wave of affordable, locally-produced solar power that will make South Carolina cleaner and more competitive while generating thousands of local jobs.”  

“Fairly compensating solar customers for the power they generate is another step toward South Carolina’s energy independence,” said John Wilson of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy. “Harnessing this carbon-free energy source will provide additional grid security while reducing the need for expensive, outdated power plants and transmission infrastructure.”

“Today’s approval is a major win for solar power in South Carolina.  The decision recognizes the services that solar customers are providing to the entire state,” said Hamilton Davis of the Coastal Conservation League.  “We can expect to see even more public support for residential and commercial solar and the cost-savings those investments will provide.”

Read our press release on the announcement of the settlement agreement.

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Southern Environmental Law Center:

The Southern Environmental Law Center is a regional nonprofit using the power of the law to protect the health and environment of the Southeast (Virginia, Tennessee, North and South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama). Founded in 1986, SELC's team of nearly 60 legal and policy experts represent more than 100 partner groups on issues of climate change and energy, air and water quality, forests, the coast and wetlands, transportation, and land use. www.SouthernEnvironment.org

Coastal Conservation League:

Since 1989, the Coastal Conservation League has been working with communities, businesses, other conservation and citizen groups to protect what we love about the South Carolina coast. From the white sand beaches and pristine marshes to the freshwater swamps and pine savannahs, we focus on the most efficient and effective ways to protect natural habitats, the wildlife that depends on them and the variety of benefits they bring to this state. We also believe that the communities we live in, the air we breathe and the water we depend upon are important and that our quality of life deserves the same high level of attention. To learn more, go to www.scccl.org.

Southern Alliance for Clean Energy:

Founded in 1985, the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy is a nonprofit organization that promotes responsible energy choices that create global warming solutions and ensure clean, safe, and healthy communities throughout the Southeast. Learn more at www.cleanenergy.org