Three-Legged Stool: Affordable, Reliable & Sustainable Energy
Incorporating a clean energy mix into South Carolina’s infrastructure has become a cross-sector priority.
In recent years, South Carolina has seen more than $9 billion in capital investments in the EV industry. This is an industry that crosses political boundaries as it provides both environmental and economic benefits and signifies the arrival of the sustainable revolution in the state.
In May 2023, Sustain SC hosted its first Energy Forum and invited stakeholders from across the state to discuss various industry-specific initiatives. The Energy Forum provided an opportunity for wide-ranging conversations among elected officials, public, private, and non-profit organizations who have a role in the actions that need to take place to ensure a strong, secure, and competitive energy future for South Carolina.
South Carolina House Speaker Murrell Smith was one of the guest speakers. The Republican lawmaker emphasized the need for action on a legislative level, particularly a realistic energy policy with bipartisan support.
“I do not believe that having clean energy, reliable and expanded energy are mutually exclusive to one another, I think they can both be complemented,” Smith said. “There is a demand for clean energy. There is a demand by industry, there’s a demand by the public and we’re going to have to make sure we put an emphasis on clean energy as we move forward.”
There’s no shortage of sunshine in South Carolina and solar energy is a significant revenue generator, particularly at the local level. Forum panelist Hamilton Davis of Southern Current remarked on the growing demand for solar and the need for a robust development plan.
“The conversation we’re starting to have in earnest with industry, Ag (SC Department of Agriculture), and with the leaders at the city and county level, is about making sure we are moving forward in a responsible way,” Hamilton said. “We know there is a need and a demand with solar coming to the state, but let’s make sure we’re being responsible with that development.”
Solar is, in fact, an integral part of many South Carolina energy companies’ short-term plans. Heather Shirley Smith of Duke Energy touts it as a win-win for customers and the industry. She says, “The same solar that we would procure as fuel free energy to help mitigate volatile fuel costs would be the same solar that we would utilize to source customer programs so that our customers can harvest the renewable attributes off of that solar and meet their sustainability goals.”
Companies in the global manufacturing market look to renewable energy for long-term solutions. Representing Milliken & Company, panelist Maurice Lawrence expressed the desire for more collaborative policies to foster companies’ ability to remain competitive and pursue green innovations like solar generation battery storage and emerging technologies like hydrogen renewable natural gas.
Eddy Moore with the Coastal Conservation League echoed the same sentiment and pushed for a more innovative approach to energy policy in South Carolina–a more globally minded approach to match the needs of global billion-dollar companies located in the state.
“We tend to focus on energy generation, transmission and supply, but that’s essentially one system,” Moore said. “To address energy efficiency you’re not addressing one system, you’re addressing the whole system of the economy, every different way that people use energy. We are, unfortunately, the back of the pack right now and we need an institution or institutions that can move that ball forward.”
Clean energy is already powering South Carolina’s economy and we look forward to seeing more investments come to the state. In the past year, a number of companies have made substantial investments with various projects all over the state. In Berkeley County, Redwood Materials has invested $3.5 billion for a battery materials recycling facility; In Spartanburg County, BMW has invested $1.7 billion on a plant expansion for electric vehicle production and new high-voltage battery assembly facility. Albermarle Corporation is investing $1.3 billion for a lithium mega-flex processing facility in Chester County and Scout Motors plans to bring 4,000 jobs and a $1.3 billion investment to Richland County with an electric vehicle manufacturing facility.
