S.C. seen as well-poised for clean-energy manufacturing

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - Conservation groups say President Joe Biden’s recent visit highlights the importance of boosting the clean energy industry in South Carolina for years to come.

Conservation Voters of South Carolina says what the state lacks – in coal and gas deposits – makes it a natural fit to become a nationwide leader in clean energy manufacturing.

“We’re seeing South Carolina really lead the pack in many ways when it comes to clean energy economy,” said John Brooker, who’s with the group.

An even bigger spotlight put on that last week – with President Joe Biden’s visit to a West Columbia facility that’s making microinverters for the first time in the U.S.

Those convert energy from the sun into usable power, which the White House says is moving a key component of the supply chain here from overseas.

“Jobs that used to go to Mexico, India, Romania, China are now coming home to South Carolina,” Biden said.

The president announced the creation of 600 more positions in the state – made possible, he says, because of his administration’s Inflation Reduction Act policies.

“This is on the heels of many announcements over the past year and change,” Brooker said. “We’ve seen $11 billion in the past year or so in investment in clean energy industries, 14,000 or so jobs brought to the state.”

Those aren’t the only green jobs coming to South Carolina – which is also heavily recruiting companies in the electric vehicle manufacturing field to invest here.

In just the past year, companies have committed billions of dollars and thousands of jobs in the Palmetto State as they ramp up production to build electric vehicles and related parts, like batteries.

Conservation Voters of South Carolina says this – coupled with the president’s visit – shows South Carolinians can support clean energy – while also supporting businesses based in their state.

“I think a lot of people, when they think of clean energy, think a lot of this is coming from overseas. … We have storage facilities that have been announced in South Carolina. We have a slew of EV manufacturers and even have offshore wind manufacturers in South Carolina,” Brooker said.

“It’s a great opportunity to invest in those industries, and I think there’s more to come and we’ll see more of that in the future.”

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