Letter to the editor
In the weeks following Hurricanes Helene and Milton, as an environmental advocate I’ve been hearing from people across the southeast United States about how renewable energy helped them through this hurricane season. One resident of Milledgeville, Georgia, told me, “I have a solar panel and Tesla battery backup system. The night Helene came through our area winds were gusting at 50 mph. The first big gust hit and our electricity went out immediately. The switch to the power wall was seamless and quiet. I do not miss pulling out my generator from under the house. I definitely don’t miss the noise.”
Following Helene, the CEO of the largest electric cooperative in North Carolina said that utilities are “facing a complete rebuild of electrical infrastructure.” In Florida, Hurricane Milton left more than 3 million homes and businesses without power, some for weeks.
As we look to rebuild our power infrastructure and think about becoming more resilient, we should include renewable energy in the heart of our plans. It just makes sense. There is growing evidence that renewables offer grid resilience during extreme weather events – and they reduce the carbon pollution that makes “super storms” more likely in the first place.
Florida and North Carolina have a firm renewable foundation to build on – we have been among the top states for solar power and battery storage growth since 2013.
The priority in the coming months must be helping our communities rebuild their lives and be better prepared for future severe weather, but it would be irresponsible to ignore the opportunity to diversify our energy sources. Burning fossil fuels is energy intensive and pollution heavy, with emissions that trap heat in our air and water. Warmer water means more intense storms, more bacteria and toxic algal blooms, and unlivable conditions for many sea creatures, like coral. Rebuilding with solar options is a better choice for storm resiliency and for our environment.
We are encouraged by the rapid growth of clean, renewable energy, primarily solar and wind in the United States. The project of powering America with renewable energy is now truly national, with growth in every state. Five of the 10 fastest-growing solar states in percentage terms, including South Carolina, Virginia and Alabama, are located in the Southeast. Meanwhile, Texas, Iowa, Oklahoma and Kansas topped the charts for wind power growth in 2022. Southeast states like Florida, should seize the unintended opportunity that our active hurricane season brought and rebuild stronger and more resilient than before.
Whether you live in a red, blue or purple state, clean energy is now just common sense. It’s cheap, resilient, reliable, better for our health and our planet. Maybe that’s why we are seeing more bipartisan support for national policies that support renewable energy. Real life and common sense has a way of overcoming division polari