Distributed Energy Resource Program Act (Act 236) of 2014

The passage of the Distributed Energy Resource Program Act (Act 236) in 2014 ushered in a new era of solar leasing in South Carolina, and solar installations have grown exponentially since that time. Between 2014 and 2018, the number of solar installations has grown by more than 17,000. This growth represents a capacity increase of more than 460 MW.

In addition to authorizing solar leasing, Act 236 established the operating guidelines for net energy metering and provided regulated utilities with a means for cost recovery via incentives for renewable energy procurement. The latter incentivizes utilities to procure electricity from utility-scale solar installations and to develop programs to increase the adoption of consumer-scale solar installations.

Energy Freedom Act (Act 62) of 2019

The Energy Freedom Act (Act 62) of 2019 instituted changes to solar regulation in South Carolina, including lifting the caps on net metering and solar leasing.

• South Carolina Office of Regulatory Staff- South Carolina Energy Freedom Act
• South Carolina Energy Freedom Act Summary (PDF)

Additional Legislation

Additional pending legislation can be found on the South Carolina Statehouse website.