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Released May 22, 2020 | SUGAR LAND
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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--According to the U.S. Energy Administration (EIA), the U.S. South Atlantic region easily leads the nation in the installation of solar power capacity. The region includes Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia. Industrial Info is tracking more than $20.8 billion in active solar projects in these states.
However, the solar industry is seeing darker times under the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association (Washington, D.C.), the sector is rapidly shedding jobs and will employ 114,000 fewer workers than previously forecast by June 2020. There is a lack of necessary solar panels and other equipment from abroad as a result of country-wide lockdowns as well as the need to socially distance at worksites due to COVID-19, leading to fewer workers. Industrial Info is tracking more than $1 billion in solar projects in the South Atlantic states that have been delayed, placed on hold or otherwise affected by COVID-19.
According to the EIA, the South Atlantic states installed 2.2 gigawatts of solar power last year, more than twice that of the second-highest contender, California.
Click on the image at right for a view of U.S. utility-scale solar installations from 2010 through 2019.
The solar buildout in the region is attributable to a number of factors. The region's geography appears less suitable for wind installations compared with the flat plains of the Midwest and Texas. In addition, many of the states have enacted measures to encourage the buildout of renewable energy. According to the EIA, North Carolina was the earliest state in the region to adopt renewable energy legislation, which it did in 2007. Florida has enacted the Solar Base Rate Adjustment (SoBRA) mechanism, which allows utilities to recover costs from customers of large-scale solar buildouts and has encouraged development throughout the state, notably from NextEra Energy Incorporated (NYSE:NEE) (Juno Beach, Florida) and Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) (Charlotte, North Carolina).
Virginia recently enacted the Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA), requiring the state's largest utilities to deliver electricity from 100% renewable sources by 2045 and setting a timeline for the closure of old fossil fuel plants. The VCEA mandates 16.1 GW of solar or onshore wind power by 2036, which has prompted the state's primary utility, Dominion Energy Incorporated (NYSE:D) (Richmond, Virginia), to increase its planned capital spending in the sector. For more information, see May 7, 2020, article - Dominion Doubles Down on Renewable Energy, Awaits Decisions on Atlantic Coast Pipeline. The legislation also is prompting non-utility companies to make solar a part of their power. Amazon.com Incorporated (NASDAQ:AMZN) (Seattle, Washington) this week announced the planned construction of the company's twelfth solar installation in Virginia, which will generate 130 megawatts (MW).
Among Dominion's active projects in Virginia is the 102-MW Sadler photovoltaic solar facility in Emporia, about 65 miles south of Richmond. The facility will use more than 346,000 solar panels on a ground-mounted, fixed-tilt axis system. Construction began late last year and is expected to wrap up by the end of this year. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report. Industrial Info is tracking eight active Dominion solar projects in Virginia, valued at more than $1.3 billion. Click here for a list.
NextEra Energy is taking a leading role in the region's solar buildout, with 26 active solar projects in Georgia, Florida and Virginia. Most of the company's solar projects are being constructed in its home state of Florida, where it is taking advantage of the SoBRA mechanism by constructing several 74.5-MW solar facilities throughout the state. In last month's earnings conference call with industry analysts, Chief Financial Officer Rebecca Kujawa said NextEra's primary subsidiary, Florida Power & Light Company (Juno Beach), projected it would have more than 10,000 MW of installed solar capacity by the end of this decade.
Among NextEra's Florida projects on track to be completed later this year is the 74.5-MW Union County solar energy center, in the north of the state. The facility will use approximately 333,000 First Solar (NYSE:FSLR) (Tempe, Arizona) thin-film photovoltaic modules on a single-axis tracking system. Black & Veatch Incorporated (Kansas City, Missouri) is providing engineering, procurement and construction services. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.
NextEra has had some solar projects affected by COVID-19, however. Among these is the 74.5-MW Trailside solar energy center in Hastings, Florida, about 100 miles north of Orlando. Construction on the project was previously planned to kick off next month, but this has been pushed out to later in the year. Completion is set for first-quarter 2020. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. Follow IIR on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn. For more information on our coverage, send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.com or visit us online at http://www.industrialinfo.com.
However, the solar industry is seeing darker times under the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association (Washington, D.C.), the sector is rapidly shedding jobs and will employ 114,000 fewer workers than previously forecast by June 2020. There is a lack of necessary solar panels and other equipment from abroad as a result of country-wide lockdowns as well as the need to socially distance at worksites due to COVID-19, leading to fewer workers. Industrial Info is tracking more than $1 billion in solar projects in the South Atlantic states that have been delayed, placed on hold or otherwise affected by COVID-19.
According to the EIA, the South Atlantic states installed 2.2 gigawatts of solar power last year, more than twice that of the second-highest contender, California.
Click on the image at right for a view of U.S. utility-scale solar installations from 2010 through 2019.The solar buildout in the region is attributable to a number of factors. The region's geography appears less suitable for wind installations compared with the flat plains of the Midwest and Texas. In addition, many of the states have enacted measures to encourage the buildout of renewable energy. According to the EIA, North Carolina was the earliest state in the region to adopt renewable energy legislation, which it did in 2007. Florida has enacted the Solar Base Rate Adjustment (SoBRA) mechanism, which allows utilities to recover costs from customers of large-scale solar buildouts and has encouraged development throughout the state, notably from NextEra Energy Incorporated (NYSE:NEE) (Juno Beach, Florida) and Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) (Charlotte, North Carolina).
Virginia recently enacted the Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA), requiring the state's largest utilities to deliver electricity from 100% renewable sources by 2045 and setting a timeline for the closure of old fossil fuel plants. The VCEA mandates 16.1 GW of solar or onshore wind power by 2036, which has prompted the state's primary utility, Dominion Energy Incorporated (NYSE:D) (Richmond, Virginia), to increase its planned capital spending in the sector. For more information, see May 7, 2020, article - Dominion Doubles Down on Renewable Energy, Awaits Decisions on Atlantic Coast Pipeline. The legislation also is prompting non-utility companies to make solar a part of their power. Amazon.com Incorporated (NASDAQ:AMZN) (Seattle, Washington) this week announced the planned construction of the company's twelfth solar installation in Virginia, which will generate 130 megawatts (MW).
Among Dominion's active projects in Virginia is the 102-MW Sadler photovoltaic solar facility in Emporia, about 65 miles south of Richmond. The facility will use more than 346,000 solar panels on a ground-mounted, fixed-tilt axis system. Construction began late last year and is expected to wrap up by the end of this year. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report. Industrial Info is tracking eight active Dominion solar projects in Virginia, valued at more than $1.3 billion. Click here for a list.
NextEra Energy is taking a leading role in the region's solar buildout, with 26 active solar projects in Georgia, Florida and Virginia. Most of the company's solar projects are being constructed in its home state of Florida, where it is taking advantage of the SoBRA mechanism by constructing several 74.5-MW solar facilities throughout the state. In last month's earnings conference call with industry analysts, Chief Financial Officer Rebecca Kujawa said NextEra's primary subsidiary, Florida Power & Light Company (Juno Beach), projected it would have more than 10,000 MW of installed solar capacity by the end of this decade.
Among NextEra's Florida projects on track to be completed later this year is the 74.5-MW Union County solar energy center, in the north of the state. The facility will use approximately 333,000 First Solar (NYSE:FSLR) (Tempe, Arizona) thin-film photovoltaic modules on a single-axis tracking system. Black & Veatch Incorporated (Kansas City, Missouri) is providing engineering, procurement and construction services. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.
NextEra has had some solar projects affected by COVID-19, however. Among these is the 74.5-MW Trailside solar energy center in Hastings, Florida, about 100 miles north of Orlando. Construction on the project was previously planned to kick off next month, but this has been pushed out to later in the year. Completion is set for first-quarter 2020. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. Follow IIR on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn. For more information on our coverage, send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.com or visit us online at http://www.industrialinfo.com.
