Although South Carolina does offer some seemingly good incentives on paper, not enough renewable producers are able to fully take advantage of the few available incentives that can make or break green industry, primarily due to the lack of standards and legitimate regulation.
Utilizing the federal tax credits for solar and small scale hydropower installations is the leading way environmentally conscious power consumers are making good on their green investment. Also, buying into the non-profit Palmetto Clean Energy (PaCE) program is giving renewable producers a reason to rejoice, but consequently is taking away from the South Carolina Public Service Commission’s (PSC) mandated net-metering program, because of the vagueness of realistic incentives and benefits that investor owned utilities (IOU) are required to offer.
Without any kind of Renewable Energy Standard (RES) South Carolina has left themselves at a disadvantage to make their claim in the green revolution taking place across the nation. As compared to neighboring states, and the example of the nation’s leader in renewable industry, California, a RES may at first be controversial, but after a few years could be South Carolina’s golden ticket to a championship caliber green economy and busy local solar installers.
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