Solar strides

The Jan. 7 editorial “Bright idea” beautifully illustrated how beneficial solar energy farms are for North Carolina. N.C. has one of the fastest-growing solar energy industries in the country. Solar farms provide clean, renewable energy along with boosting the productivity of private land.

It is impressive how far solar energy has come in just the last few years from a fringe idea to an energy source that is producing more than 13 megawatts of electricity in N.C. every year.

The growth in solar energy is due partly to tax credits and to the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard that sets a renewable energy goal for utilities.

However, even with these incentives, solar power accounts for less than 1 percent of the total electric power generation while at the same time we are one of the top 10 consumers of electricity in the nation. Another step we can take to give solar a helping hand is to put a price on carbon. This would increase the demand for a blossoming industry that is creating jobs while providing us all with the clean energy we desire.

Donald Addu, Durham