What's New

Gov. Perdue has signed into law improvements to the state's renewable energy tax incentives and a reinstatement of the renewable energy manufacturing tax credit.

The Environment North Carolina-backed measure will mean more solar farms and more solar panels on roofs.  It will also help create clean energy jobs for North Carolina.

Environment North Carolina is urging leaders to support a host of other policies to get solar panels on 100,000 roofs by 2020 and 700,000 roofs by 2030.

How You Can Help

Sign our petition to help North Carolina grow solar!  Then, ask your family and friends to do the same.

Summary

Conditions are ripe for North Carolina to grow solar, decreasing pollution and boosting the economy.

With four hours of peak sun per day, North Carolina has twice as much sun as Germany, the world's solar leader.  The state's top-notch universities and technological centers are home to some of the world's best solar innovators.  The largest installation of solar heating and cooling technology is already complete in Western North Carolina.  And according to the NC Utility Commission’s own study, solar energy creates three times as many jobs as coal-power per megawatt.

We can get solar panels on 100,000 roofs in North Carolina in ten years by:

Investing in worker-training programs and in North Carolina cities, towns, and schools that are ready to grow solar.  The President's economic recovery plan and Gov. Perdue's Green Business Fund will do just that.

Providing incentives for installing and manufacturing solar technologies. 

• North Carolina’s 35% investment tax credit for installation of renewable energy technologies expires in 2011.  In 2007, the credit cost the state just over $440,000, and is expected to cost $1 million in future years.  The renewable energy investment tax credit should be extended until 2017.  In addition, the tax credit should be made “recession proof” by allowing tax credits for renewable energy installations to include gross premium taxes.
  
• The United States lags in solar energy component manufacturing.  In North Carolina, suppliers and installers of solar energy components outnumber manufacturers 8 to 1.  To bring the costs down of solar power, and create more jobs here in North Carolina, North Carolina should reinstate its renewable energy manufacturing tax credit, which expired in 2006.
  
• The State of Texas recently adopted a policy that would allow local governments to use their borrowing power to help electing businesses and individuals finance solar power installations.  Participants would pay the loan back through increased property tax assessments; the increase would be tied to the property, rather than to the owner.  North Carolina should follow the lead of Texas.  

Removing barriers for homeowners and small businesses to invest in solar energy. 

• North Carolina regulators recently adopted a net metering policy that allows customers with solar panels to sell back their excess power monthly if they produce more power than they use.  But utilities may still assess prohibitive ‘standby charges’ for systems under 500 kW.  Standby charges for these small systems should be removed.
  
• Remarkably, some homeowners’ associations and historic districts may still prohibit solar panel installations.   Prohibitions on solar panel installations for residents should be lifted. 

Creating vibrant solar markets by allowing regulators to set the price for the purchase of solar power.   In order to truly integrate distributed solar generation into, solar providers must be paid a fair and predictable rate for the electricity they generate.  This policy, known as a “feed-in rate,” has catapulted solar power production in Germany and Japan; North Carolina should follow suit.