By Jack O’Toole, Capitol bureau | The sun is rising on a new era for solar power in South Carolina with the once-disparaged industry poised to create $19 billion in economic activity and more than 3,000 new Palmetto State jobs by 2035, according to a new report.
Fueling that projected growth, University of South Carolina economist Joseph Von Nessen said, is a commitment by the state’s utilities to ramp up energy production as the state’s population and economy continue to boom over the next decade.
“The expansion of the solar industry represents an important component of this effort, while also creating a significant local economic footprint, generating jobs and incomes for South Carolinians, and helping to improve the state’s long-run competitiveness, ” he said Dec. 5 in a release.
Among the report’s key findings are:
- Solar production will grow by more than 400% by 2035, from about 2,500 megawatts to 11,000 megawatts. For perspective, the recently proposed, and highly controversial, natural gas plant in rural Colleton County would produce about 2,000 megawatts if approved.
- The total economic impact of the state’s solar industry will total $19 billion over the next decade.
- In addition to creating about 3,000 permanent jobs, the industry will grow 5,500 temporary construction-related jobs per year as new solar facilities are built.
- By 2035, the solar sector will generate $261 million in annual income for South Carolina residents, up from its current $57 million.
Chris Carmody, executive director of the Carolinas Clean Energy Alliance (CCEA) and one of the study’s sponsors, said the findings point the way toward energy independence for the state.
“This study shows what a boon solar power can be to the people of South Carolina, creating good jobs and attracting large employers to create even more good jobs – all while producing the clean energy we need to power a booming state,” Carmody said.
- The full report is available at the CCEA website at carolinasceba.com.
State school board cranks up heat on books
By Skyler Baldwin | The S.C. Board of Education on Tuesday voted on the fate of two books challenged by a parent under Regulation 43.170, a blanket school book-banning policy that took effect at the beginning of the school year.
The books in question — HMH Into Literature, an 8th-grade English textbook, and Crank, a novel by Ellen Hopkins — were challenged by Emily Clement of Fort Mill. The board opted to keep the textbook in classrooms, but restricted access to Crank to students whose parents sign an opt-in form.
Advocacy groups across the state have fought the state regulation, claiming that it will open the floodgates for mass book bans from politically motivated pro-censorship groups.
“Regulation 43-170 insults the students, parents, and educators of South Carolina,” Josh Malkin, advocacy director at the ACLU of South Carolina, said during the Dec. 2 press conference. “It assumes that our students cannot think critically. It assumes that our parents cannot make decisions for their own children without feeling the need to make decisions for all South Carolina youth. It assumes that our educators are not the caring, thoughtful experts that they are.”
Crank is a fictional, cautionary tale of a high school student whose life is derailed by drug addiction and plummeting mental health. Hopkins, the novelist, spoke at the Dec. 2 press conference about messages she’s received from young readers.
“I’ve received over the years literally thousands of messages like that one in support of the book, telling me that the book turned them away from that path or gave insight into a loved one’s addiction or even encouraged them to become drug counselors or social workers,” she said. Many of those people found that book in their school libraries or classrooms.”
Tuesday’s vote follows the board’s earlier decision to remove seven books from public school libraries, including adult romance novels by Colleen Hoover and Sarah J. Maas. Other books still on the chopping block in schools include Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes and The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros.
The regulation went into effect June 25. Supporters say it aims to bring full uniformity related to the process of reporting concerns or complaints related to instructional materials that are not “age appropriate.”
Instruction materials subject to the regulation include textbooks, books on teachers’ shelves, film strips, podcasts, internet materials and more. All must now be catalogued and listed on a public school’s website by individual staff members. The database will then be accessible by parents and guardians, and complaints can be filed electronically. Materials will then be reviewed by the district school board.
In other recent news
S.C. lawmakers return to work. Members of the South Carolina General Assembly (that’s 46 senators and 123 representatives — there’s currently one House vacancy) returned, briefly, to the Capitol for their organizational session this week. Primary activities included the election of House and Senate officers and the divvying up of committee assignments among the members.
May shows up for first day of organizational session months after federal raid. Embattled state Rep. R.J. May, R-Lexington, was in his seat for the first organizational day of the 2025 legislative session, surprising many who thought he would be a no-show amid whispers of a looming federal indictment.
S.C. legislature to choose from 68 finalists for judicial seats. The General Assembly will pick from a list of 68 candidates found qualified by the legislature’s judicial screening panel, according to a release Tuesday. The legislature will elect 51 judges during a joint assembly election Feb. 5.
Malloy withdraws protest in S.C. Senate-29 race. On the eve of his protest hearing, Democrat Gerald Malloy withdrew his protest in the race for Senate District 29. Republican J.D. Chaplin will serve as the district’s senator for the upcoming term.
S.C. lawmaker receives state’s highest honor. Gov. Henry McMaster awarded former Sen. Dwight Loftis, who chose not to seek office in 2024, the Order of the Palmetto for his service in the South Carolina General Assembly.
National firm to sue S.C. education department. A national libertarian law firm that specializes in suing governments over individual rights is poised to take on the South Carolina Department of Education for ending a tuition voucher program.
State committee pulls plug on I-526 expansion project. Members of the Joint Bond Review Committee voted Monday to revoke authorization that would have allowed the South Carolina Transportation Infrastructure Bank to provide $75 million for the preliminary costs of the project.
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