With three months of data still to trickle in, Georgia has already added a record amount of new solar so far this year, a new report released Wednesday finds.
The Peach State added 1,376 megawatts of solar in the first three quarters of this year, enough to power roughly 160,000 homes, according to the new analysis from the Solar Energy Industries Association and the data analytics firm Wood Mackenzie. That’s the fifth most in the country, trailing only Texas, Florida, California and Nevada, the report found.
In all of 2023, Georgia added about 680 megawatts of solar, ranking 14th.
With the new additions, Georgia now ranks seventh in the country for total installed solar capacity, with almost 7,300 megawatts generating enough electricity for 843,000 homes across the state, according to SEIA and Wood Mackenzie.
On the manufacturing side, Georgia is also near the top.
With Qcells’ second factory now churning out finished panels in North Georgia, the state ranked second for solar module production through the first three quarters of 2024, according to the report. The $2.5 billion investment the company is making to expand its Georgia manufacturing footprint is expected to boost its workforce in the state to 4,000 full-time employees.
Georgia is also home to Suniva, which resumed production in recent weeks, becoming the country’s first new solar cell manufacturing plant to come online since 2019.
Nationwide, the industry also set records for new solar installations and manufacturing in the third quarter.
SEIA President and CEO Abigail Ross Hopper said the growth was due to federal solar policies and increased private investment.
“The United States is stepping up to take market share from foreign competitors and making sure that the jobs and economic growth from solar are benefiting American communities,” Hopper said in a statement.
The Inflation Reduction Act, President Joe Biden’s signature climate and health law, created lucrative incentives for solar manufacturers to onshore production in the U.S., plus extended and expanded tax credits for homes, businesses and nonprofits that install solar. Georgia’s Democratic Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock were instrumental in crafting the law’s solar provisions and cast decisive votes for the legislation, which passed Congress in 2022 without a single Republican vote.
But the report found not all sectors of Georgia’s solar industry are booming and with President-elect Donald Trump set to return to the White House next month, policy shifts he’s pledged could dim future growth.
As has been the case for years, Georgia’s new solar additions in 2024 have been dominated by huge solar arrays that serve electric utilities — not panels installed on the roofs of homes and businesses. Of the new solar Georgia has added so far in 2024, almost 99% is from utility-scale projects.
Credit: Nathan Posner for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Credit: Nathan Posner for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Don Moreland, the executive director of the Georgia Solar Energy Association, said the report shows smaller solar installations continue to lag “due to lack of local policy support,” adding that “there is still more work to do locally to bring the benefits of clean energy to all.”
In cases before the Georgia Public Service Commission and at the General Assembly, Georgia Power has pushed back against expanding programs that clean energy advocates say would make solar more affordable for residential property owners. In recent years, the PSC has rejected residential solar policy changes and the General Assembly has declined to pass legislation favored by local solar proponents.
While the PSC has ordered Georgia Power to add solar, the commission also approved the company’s request to build new oil and gas-fired plants and add battery storage earlier this year, mostly to meet the needs of electricity-hungry data centers.
In 2025, Moreland said his members are planning a new push to expand solar access.
Trump, meanwhile, has vowed to roll back clean energy spending and threatened to increase tariffs on a range of products. Tariffs are already in effect for solar panels from China and four other South Asian countries, but it’s possible Trump could increase them.
In their analysis, SEIA and Wood Mackenzie say the near-term trajectory for U.S. solar is unlikely to change, but that it’s “not yet clear” how the incoming administration and Republican-controlled Congress will affect the industry.
A note of disclosure
This coverage is supported by a partnership with Green South Foundation and Journalism Funding Partners. You can learn more and support our climate reporting by donating at ajc.com/donate/climate.
About the Author
