Garner, NC — A coalition of North Carolina clean energy businesses and organizations held a press conference today to deliver a clear message to the Senate: reject the deep cuts to clean energy tax credits in the House’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” that would crush the state’s thriving clean energy sector—an industry that has already delivered thousands of jobs to North Carolina families and reduced electricity costs at the very moment America’s energy reliability depends on it most.
Speaking at a press conference in Garner, representatives from NC Sustainable Energy Association, Greentech Renewables, Solar United Neighbors Action (SUN Action), Southern Energy Management, and Clean Energy for America (CE4A) warned that the House-passed budget bill would devastate an industry that has already generated 108 new energy projects and 18,100 jobs across North Carolina, with 20,300 additional positions in the pipeline.
As the budget bill now advances in the Senate, industry leaders emphasized that gutting these credits would undermine both economic growth and national security at a time when soaring energy demand from AI and data centers requires every available source of clean power to maintain America’s competitive edge.
“We do two things [at Southern Energy Management]: we install solar on rooftops to help homeowners, businesses, and non profits save money on their utility bills everyday…We employ 190 people—185 of them are North Carolinians, spread out from Wilmington to Asheville. The rapid elimination of the energy tax credits in the reconciliation bill are a big risk for these jobs,” said Will Etheridge, CEO of Southern Energy Management. “Businesses like mine have planned and invested around these policies which were set to last for 10 years. In the latest version of the bill the section 25D residential clean energy credit goes away in 180 days. That’s a policy cliff and job killer… Losing these jobs is not only going to be a tragedy for those individuals and my business – it’s going to hurt North Carolina’s economy – where solar jobs are currently growing at 1.7x faster than the state’s economy – and America’s overall energy goals.”
“As a solar distributor serving installers across North Carolina, we see firsthand how policy uncertainty ripples through the entire supply chain and clean energy economy,” said Shasten Jolley from Greentech Renewables. “Our installer and manufacturing partners have built their businesses around the demand that has been created by these tax credits. When you pull the rug out from under these policies with just 180 days’ notice, you’re not just hurting one company—you’re destabilizing an entire ecosystem of large investments and small businesses that employ thousands of North Carolinians.”
“North Carolina’s clean energy sector is an economic powerhouse that has attracted billions in investment and created over one hundred thousand good-paying jobs across our state,” said Matt Abele, NC Sustainable Energy Association. “Reversing the current momentum behind this domestic manufacturing boom will likely lead to increases in electricity costs and threaten the reliability of our current grid.”
“For many, this credit is the only thing making solar—and true energy freedom—possible. Without it, they’re stuck saying things like: ‘I can’t afford to save money’… [At SUN Action] We may have different political beliefs, but we are united in the belief that solar is a practical, local solution—to lower energy costs and boost energy resilience,” said Jani Hale, Help Desk Manager at SUN Action. “In the past year alone, thousands of everyday folks have called our helpline with questions about going solar. No matter where the call starts, lately it always ends the same way: ‘Is now a good time to go solar, with everything happening with the tax credit?’…this tax credit—Bill 25D—is no joke! It means savings for North Carolinians from Manteo to Murphy. So I say to Senator Tillis: don’t give up the fight.”
