Tennessee ranks near bottom for solar energy production in the Southeast

Tennessee ranks among the worst for solar energy production.

Tennessee is expected to be second for the lowest amount of solar installed by 2027 compared to six other Southeastern states, according to a new report by the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy. 

On the utility side, the Tennessee Valley Authority ranks last for solar among big Southeastern utilities.

TVA, which serves 10 million customers in Tennessee and six other states, has even less solar capacity than Dominion’s South Carolina territory. 

“That utility in South Carolina serves less than 800,000 customers, yet they have more solar than TVA has,” said Bryan Jacob, a solar consultant with SACE who helped author the report.

More: TVA’s power mix explained in two charts

Another point of comparison is Florida’s big utility: Florida, Power and Light has a similar total generating capacity to TVA but five times as much solar. 

TVA has an “institutional bias” against renewable energy, according to the report, which said TVA has an opportunity to significantly increase both its solar and transmission capacity with upcoming long-term planning processes and Inflation Reduction Act incentives.