After last year’s shutdown of the V.C. Summer nuclear reactor project, South Carolinians are wondering what the future of the state’s energy production will look like. With S.C.’s population expected to grow faster than a lot of the rest of the U.S., what will replace the collision of atoms to keep S.C. powered on?
It’s still being figured out. Bob Guild, a lawyer working with S.C.’s Sierra Club chapter, thinks that building a solar field would be a smart (and cost effective) option for the state – vs. a larger-scale operation requiring rate-payers’ dollars. 5-, 10- or 20- megawatt solar farms fit the state’s needs.
Right now, wind + hydroelectric power aren’t being considered.
Conor Harrison, an assistant professor of economic geography at UofSC, forecasts a heavier reliance on natural gas. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced plans to repeal the Clean Power Plan, which could push S.C. towards using coal as a source of energy.
