Solar Streetlights in South Carolina

Why Solar Streetlights Make Sense in South Carolina

Sunlight Potential

Much of South Carolina receives ample solar insolation, making off-grid lighting practical and cost-effective.

 

Lower Infrastructure Overhead

No need for trenching, conduit runs, or grid extension, which is especially useful in rural counties and expanding suburban zones.

 

Grid Independence & Resilience

Lights can stay operational through utility outages or in areas where grid access is weak.

 

Built for Regional Conditions

Engineered to withstand coastal salt spray, humidity, storms, and seasonal weather swings.

South Carolina’s Climate / Emissions Goals & Context

South Carolina does not currently have a binding statewide net-zero by 2050 law, but it is actively planning and adopting strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and build resilience.

Key elements:
• The Priority Climate Action Plan (PCAP) process is underway to craft emissions inventories, future projections, and reduction strategies.


• The Palmetto Air Quality Collaborative (PAQC) is a multi-year initiative to design greenhouse gas reduction and air quality plans for the state, to be delivered in phases.


• Under new regulatory plans, existing coal and natural gas power plants operating a high fraction of the time will need to eliminate ~90 % of CO₂ emissions if they continue operating past certain dates.


• Several local governments are setting net-zero or deep reduction goals. For example, Charleston’s climate plan targets a 56 % emissions reduction by 2030 and net zero by 2050.


• South Carolina is also seeing corporate solar/renewable deployments—e.g. a 600 MW solar + storage investment by Google/energyRe in the state.


By placing solar streetlights, SC jurisdictions can reduce reliance on grid power (which still has fossil generation), lower municipal energy demand, and signal commitment to clean infrastructure.