“Solar in the Southeast” Ninth Edition Report: Solar Boom Meets Solar Resistance

Solar power is growing fast across the Southeast, but a new report finds several utilities are scaling back future solar plans in favor of new gas power plants, mainly to meet rising electricity demand from data centers. The region had almost 30 gigawatts of solar installed in 2025, with utility plans pointing toward 54 gigawatts by 2030, but that growth is not guaranteed.

Florida leads the region and has been a strong market for rooftop solar, helped by a leasing program approved in 2018. But Florida Power & Light, the state's largest utility, cut its planned solar additions by nearly 30 percent, citing the expiration of federal solar tax credits, and plans no new solar from 2031 to 2033 while adding gas capacity instead. In North and South Carolina, Duke Energy has reduced near-term solar plans, paused a planned 2026 solar procurement process, and dropped two customer programs: a community solar option called Clean Energy Connection and a renewable energy credit program called Clean Energy Impact. A residential solar-plus-battery pilot in North Carolina, called PowerPair, has done well and continues.

If you're weighing solar or battery storage for your own home, it's worth checking directly with your utility or state energy office about which programs are still active, since offerings are changing state by state and, in some cases, utility by utility. Programs that exist today, like community solar or credit programs, may not remain available in the same form next year.