By Jim Kennerly, Policy and Regulatory Analyst

A report released Wednesday, August 15 by the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) showed that North Carolina solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity doubled during 2011. According to the report, solar PV capacity increased by 45.5 megawatts, a remarkable 114% jump from 2010. North Carolina’s solar PV growth rate was even more rapid  than that of U.S. solar PV development as a whole, which grew at an impressive 85% during 2011. Despite such strong nationwide growth, North Carolina kept its place as a national leader in solar development, ranking 11th in the nation in solar PV capacity installed in 2011 and 11th in total installed solar PV capacity.

NCSEA is pleased to see the solar PV industry expand at such a rapid pace, and our team is constantly engaging with electric utilities and government decision-makers at the federal, state and local levels to ensure such robust growth in the clean energy economy continues.

In addition, NCSEA worked closely with Larry Sherwood, the report’s author, to provide critical data to help supplement the report.