North Carolina

North Carolina’s clean energy industry has grown rapidly in the decade and a half since North Carolina’s General Assembly passed the Southeast’s first and still only Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (REPS) in 2007, which requires utilities to generate a portion of electricity from clean, renewable sources. In 2020, North Carolina was still the undisputed leader in solar energy development and deployment in the Southeast, ranking second in the nation for installed solar capacity, but growth by neighbors may challenge that ranking by 2021 or 2022. In addition to solar, North Carolina boasts some of the best offshore wind energy resources along the Atlantic coast and a 2021 executive order from Governor Roy Cooper positions the state for development in that sector. Opportunities still remain for North Carolina to reduce energy consumption through more effective energy efficiency programs and to reduce carbon pollution through additional coal plant retirements. From NC’s Southern Appalachian mountains to the Outer Banks along the Eastern shore, we remain committed to transforming the way we produce and consume energy in order to protect our unique and treasured places in the Old North State.