John DeemSavannah Morning News
One of Savannah’s fastest-growing areas also is powering much of the city’s growth in residential solar capacity.
More than one-quarter of all permits issued last year by the city for rooftop home systems were in The Highlands, a crescent-shaped slice of annexed land off Interstate 95 near Pooler that – for now – is Savannah’s northernmost section.
Nearly 30 residents in the sprawling development of new houses, townhomes and apartments secured Savannah’s permission to go solar in 2023, according to data from the city.
In fact, nearly 55% of all systems approved last year were in just two suburban ZIP codes: 31407, where The Highlands’ neatly packed homes line curved streets and cul-de-sacs carved from former farmland and forest; and 31419, where new developments are filling gaps between establishedSouthside neighborhoods.
Citywide, 111 new solar permits were issued in 2023, which would push Savannah’s portfolio of residential systems close to 500.
Based on calculations from the Environmental Protection Agency, generating a year’s worth of electricity in power plants for that number of homes would send nearly 4,400 metric tons of heat-trapping carbon dioxide – the leading contributor to climate change – into the atmosphere.
Because they can’t choose how utilities produce electricity, customers can only do so much to reduce their carbon footprints. Rooftop solar allows homeowners to better manage their energy mix and offset energy-related emissions tied to future growth.
Nowhere in Savannah is that happening more than in ZIP code 31407, where the population skyrocketed 235% between 2010 and 2020, according to U.S. Census data. The area also added nearly 2,000 homes over that period. And those figures don’t capture continued growth this decade in The Highlands, where construction is ongoing.
That kind of development presents a unique opportunity to make solaran option in new homes from the start, just like custom floors, kitchen cabinetry and other features. It’s also why Georgia – and Savannah, in particular – has become any important market for companies such asPalmetto Energy.
“So many of the perceived barriers tosolaradoption are consumer misconceptions that there is a lack of available financing options, or that the up-front costsare too high,” said Jason Conrad, senior vice president at the Charlotte, North Carolina-based firm. “Bundlingsolarand battery storage with new home development makes the investment a part of the energy system of the house. Once consumers are in, they are converted to the idea by seeing the savings and resiliency.”
In Georgia, working upfront with customers to balance that bundle of generation and storage is essential to making residential solar an economically sound investment, Conrad added.
'Not worth it in any which way'
That wasn’t the case for one resident of The Highlands who went with another company for his rooftop panels.
“It’s by far one of the best and worst decisions I've ever made in my life,” said K.J. Anderson as he pointed to the array on the roof of his two-story home while a moving crew packed boxes in the garage and driveway.
The problem, he explained, is that he shelled out $60,000 for a system that didn’t include battery storage that can be tapped when the sun isn’t shining.
“If we had known all of that, we probably wouldn't have gotten that many (panels) because for it to fully kick over and to save on your electric bill, you’ve got to have a battery,” he said. “I would have gotten fewer (panels) and put that money toward storage.”
The system creates an additional financial challenge for Army veteran Anderson and his wife, Lynn, a still-active soldier, as that prepare to move to Texas.
The Andersons took out a loan to buy and install the solar system in hopes that the monthly payments would be less than what they used to pay for electricity. Without battery storage, that didn’t happen. What’s worse is that the couple now must either pay off the loan or find a homebuyer willing to include the solar panels in a deal.
“It’s not worth it in any which way, when you think about it,” Anderson said in explaining the couple’s predicament. “It's wonderful for the environment because, you know, as a retired military person I've seen the good that solar energy can do because I’ve been around everywhere in America. I just wish someone had told us the full truth of how it works before we made the investment.”
Overall for 2023, the 108 permits for residential solar systems had a combined value of nearly $3.5 million, according to the city. That marked a sharp drop from the 177 home permits totaling nearly $7 million a year earlier.
John Deem covers climate change and the environment in coastal Georgia. He can be reached at 912-652-0213.
