February 24, 2020 - Charleston Regional Business Journal - Trends in Energy

In Focus

LISTS: Recycling Companies, Page 20 | Solar Companies, Page 21

Trends in energy INSIDE: n How S.C. became a model for clean energy. Page 14 n Companies build on sustainability. Page 14 n Businesses find balance with net-zero options. Page 18 n List: Recycling companies. Page 20 n List: Solar companies. Page 21

We’re working hard for you, South Carolina.

n to providing safe, clean and reliable energy is stronger than ever. The men and women of gy are committed to giving you our best every day – providing South Carolina with diverse e energy options, a more resilient energy infrastructure, innovative services for customers r communities we serve.

getting started.

SPONSORED BY:

14

www.charlestonbusiness.com

IN FOCUS: TRENDS IN ENERGY

February 24-March 8, 2020

How S.C. became a national clean energy model

By Patrick Hoff

A

phoff@scbiznews.com

fter construction of two additional reactor units at the V.C. Summer Nuclear Station ended in 2017 with billions of dollars of debt, 5,000 people out of work and no new reactors, lawmakers jumped to investigate what had happened.

But something else happened too.

“You had a really tough situation there with that plant that I think got everyone thinking ‘All right, how are we going to do this differently in the state?’” said Mark Fleming, president and CEO of Conservatives for Clean Energy.

Now, fewer than three years later, South Carolina is being seen by some as a model for how bipartisan clean energy legislation can be accomplished in a conservative state.

“We, in the last few years, have really forged new ground and shown how you can have bipartisan agreement on efforts to grow a viable, clean energy marketplace that’s going to lower barriers for ratepayers, reduce pollution across the state and create tens of thousands of jobs for our residents,” said John Tynan, executive director of Conservation Voters of South Carolina.

Last year, the General Assembly unanimously passed the Energy Freedom Act, which paved the way for the growth of renewable energy in South Carolina by, among other things, eliminating the net

metering cap for rooftop solar and allowing independent power producers to sell power to the grid.

“That’s the landmark legislation that passed in South Carolina in the last couple of years,” Tynan said. “That was really, as I’ve described it ... the most forward-thinking clean energy policy in our state’s history.”

Heather Reams, executive director of Washington, D.C.- based Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions, said very few Republican lawmakers nationally are focused on climate policy, but in South Carolina, the conversation has been going on for years.

“The South Carolina Republicans have been ahead of the game, and Congress is catching up to where South Carolina is,” Reams said.

She added that when she talks to legislators in other states, South Carolina is used as an example of how a Republican-controlled state can be a leader on clean energy policy.

“South Carolina is breaking the mold,” Reams said. “South Carolina is breaking stereotypes and ... it’s a bipartisan issue, it’s a consumer issue. It’s smart policy. It’s smart politics.”

Fleming said South Carolina has an “embarrassment of riches” in leadership on clean energy issues.

“There’s something about the coastal areas and ... a state that’s very much tied to agriculture,” he said. “And we don’t get into the climate conversation a whole lot, but

there is definitely a sense that something is happening and that we need to look for solutions that are helpful in that regard from an environmental perspective.”

Clean energy has become a bipartisan issue in South Carolina, Tynan said, for three reasons: it lowers energy bills; it reduces air pollution and water pollution; and it helps jumpstart and further transition the state into the 21st century. Reams also said that clean energy policies have a clear economic value, helping to create jobs and attract business to the state.

“There’s a reason for everybody to get behind clean energy right now,” Tynan said.

Luke Byars, an adviser for Conservatives for Clean Energy based in Columbia, said it’s been remarkable to see the state shift toward clean energy. He added, though, that the stakeholders in the state still have ample room for more growth, including building more solar farms and investments in wind power projects.

“We’re not all there yet, and there’s still more to be done,” Byars said. “We still have a Public Service Commission that’s elected by the legislature. That’s very unusual. It’s very archaic.”

Tynan also said the General Assembly needs to make sure the Public Service Commission is following the Clean Energy Act the way that the legislature intended. The legislation deferred a lot of rulemaking and decision-making to the commission, Tynan said.

“The steps moving forward are for the

General Assembly to take a close look at the Public Service Commission, who’s serving on the commission, who’s staffing the commission, and making sure that they are faithfully implementing the Energy Freedom Act as the legislature intended,” he said. “And then assessing if the commission and its staff have the right knowledge, the right resources, the right balance to actually do the job that they’ve been assigned.”

The legislature has a big opportunity this year, Tynan said, with four seats on the Public Service Commission up for new appointments.

Tyson Grinstead, director of public policy for solar panel company SunRun Inc., said South Carolina also needs to look at introducing a property tax exemption for solar panels and ensuring that homeowner associations can’t outright ban neighborhoods from having solar panels.

He added that South Carolina, and the rest of the country, is at a crossroads when it comes to energy.

“You’re getting your energy from broader, cleaner sources, and so stakeholders going forward have a real question to answer,” Grinstead said. “And that’s how do we foster more choice and competition. But also, utilities have to figure out, you know, are they going to be agents of the past? Or are they going to try to work together with companies who are pushing forward on solar and wind?”

CRBJ

Reach writer Patrick Hoff at 843-849-3144.

Interest in sustainability increasing within companies

By Shamira McCray

S

smccray@scbiznews.com

outh Carolina and Charleston are their own brands, according to Jennifer N. Fletcher, deputy director of the S.C. Commerce Department. And branding is not wrapped up only in what a company or place believes and does; it also includes geographic location and the types of employees represented.

“So from a Commerce perspective and a state’s perspective, we have a responsibility to work with our company to make sure that their brand ideas can keep transcending what they’re doing, because it’s important to them, but obviously also to their customers,” Fletcher said.

Fletcher led a panel discussion about sustainable businesses at the Lowcountry Land Trust’s Flourish 2020 event late last month in North Charleston. She said the topic of sustainability is coming up more and more.

The S.C. Commerce Department gets asked constantly by companies about net energy, recycling and available sustain-

able programs Fletcher said. The department is trying to get in front of the issue because companies want to do the right thing, but sometimes timing and other factors get in the way, she said.

Becky Atkinson, the environmental lead for Volvo Cars, said sustainability is one of the company’s core values. Volvo has implemented objectives and ambitions to meet its sustainability goals, one of which is for its operations to be climate-neutral by 2025.

Atkinson said she thinks one benefit of Volvo being in the Lowcountry is that the company can start advocating. And while Volvo does not have a clear roadmap to reach all of its sustainability goals, the company has taken some first steps.

Setting the goals left Volvo to question how it would roll them out to employees who may or may not have ever been in a manufacturing environment.

Volvo’s new-hire orientation and training include an environmental section on sustainability. The company tries to educate the community and employees on

the topic, Atkinson said. Another piece of sustainability is ethical and responsible business, Atkinson said, and one way Volvo has extended that publicly is by creating a community advisory group.

“We listen to your concerns,” Atkinson said. “We want to be a good neighbor.”

Rick Crawford, founder of the sustainable business consultancy Emerger Strategies, said some of the trends that he is seeing irrespective of business size are carbon neutrality and zero waste to landfill.

“We all have a responsibility to do the best that we can from a sustainable business perspective,” Crawford said, meaning measurement of the social, marketing and economic bottom line for a company.

Companies that want to use their business to solve the climate crisis must first create baselines and measure progress toward carbon neutrality, Crawford said.

“What gets measured gets managed,” Crawford said. “And that is very true in the sustainable business world to having key performance indicators such as carbon footprint, your waste diversion.”

Panelist Eric J. McCarthy said mobility and transportation are contributors to poor air quality. McCarthy is the senior vice president of government relations, public policy and legal affairs at Proterra, based in Burlingame, Calif. And formerly headquartered in Greenville.

“And if you throw a (diesel) bus in the mix, you’re talking about the single biggest culprit even within the transportation category,” McCarthy said.

His company designs and manufactures zero-emission buses that reduce fleet operating costs and eliminate dependency on fossil fuels. McCarthy said a launch event was scheduled recently in Charleston for the area’s first Proterra bus.

McCarthy said Proterra provides communities that are wrestling with climate change with ways they can improve their air quality issues.

“Think about how much you’re going to appreciate the outdoors if the air is clean,” McCarthy said.

CRBJ

Reach writer Shamira McCray at 843-849-3119.

February 24-March 8, 2020

SANTEE COOPER, from Page 1

nearly half, a sharpened focus on clean energy and elimination of its nearly $4 billion of debt.

The S.C. Legislature passed a joint resolution in May directing the Department of Administration to work with outside experts to evaluate bids received for the management or sale of Santee Cooper and recommend one management proposal and one sale bid.

The joint resolution also instructs the outside advisers to evaluate a reform plan put forth by Santee Cooper.

Santee Cooper co-owned the failed V.C. Summer nuclear project with S.C. Electric & Gas, which was part of the acquisition of SCANA Corp. in 2019 by Dominion Energy Inc. McMaster has been pushing for the sale of Santee Cooper for nearly two years.

The Department of Administration report recommends the management plan put forth by Dominion Energy Inc. and the sale bid submitted by NextEra Energy Inc., though the report makes clear the department does not endorse any actions, including Santee Cooper’s reform plan.

“While this report is intended to assist the General Assembly and the governor in making a decision, such decision is reserved for the General Assembly and the governor, in the exercise of their considered judgment and discretion,” the report says.

Department of Administration Executive Director Marcia Adams told a joint meeting of the Senate Finance and House Ways and Means committees that the process of evaluating the bids and plans was “by far the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my 32-year career with the state.”

“It’s also the most important task that I’ve ever had to do, because there is much at stake here,” she said.

Adams said she is proud of the work the Department of Administration has done.

“We have delivered to you three viable options that consider the interest of the ratepayers in the state,” she said. “The Department of Administration did not cause the $4 billion problem that has led the state to address issues at Santee Cooper, nor did it ever ask to be part of the process to deliver options that address those issues. The department and its advisers ... have no opinion about the course of action that the General Assembly should take.”

McMaster said in a statement that the interests of South Carolina’s ratepayers and taxpayers “must be first and foremost in the minds of members of the General Assembly” as the legislative body makes a decision about Santee Cooper.

“The politics of indecision is unacceptable,” he added. “The time to act is now.”

House Speaker Jay Lucas, R-Hartsville, said in a statement that the House plans to make decisions through public hear-

IN FOCUS: TRENDS IN ENERGY

Potential paths forward Santee Cooper’s reform plan

Santee Cooper’s proposal offers several operational changes and cost-cutting measures that, according to the report, would achieve an increase in the use of natural gas and renewable resources to generate electricity, a commitment to reduce the use of coal, and accelerated repayment and defeasance, or annulment, of the utility’s debt.

If the reform plan were implemented, Santee Cooper would reduce its workforce by 10% from 2017 levels to 1,675 employees in 2020, with additional reductions to bring the workforce down to 1,630 employees by 2025 and 1,514 employees by 2028.

Santee Cooper said it would intend to reduce the workforce without layoffs through a combination of retraining opportunities, retirement and attrition.

The reform plan also proposes improvements to Santee Cooper’s governance, including term limits and qualification requirements for board members, the formation of a resource planning group, increasing transparency through public hearings on pricing and major projects, and requiring the Office of Regulatory Staff to review certain major projects.

The Department of Administration said if the reform plan is chosen, legislative action will be required to codify the plan.

The report says the reform plan offers several benefits, including customer rates that are $2.3 billion lower than rates in the 2019 Santee Cooper budget and retention of the state’s ownership of Santee Cooper.

However, the Department of Administration notes that the General Assembly may wish to consider the fact that Santee Cooper does not have a history of the kinds of changes proposed in the reform plan and that the plan does not address litigation related to the abandonment of V.C. Summer nuclear project, among other considerations.

Dominion’s management proposal

Dominion’s proposal includes the placement of at least three Dominion employees at Santee Cooper to fill key management roles reporting to the Santee Cooper CEO. The Department of Administration said Dominion was also willing to place a Dominion employee in the role of Santee Cooper CEO. Dominion would not charge a management fee beyond reimbursement of its costs, and the initial term of the management agreement would be 10 years.

Dominion’s proposal does not include any changes to the workforce.

The report says Dominion’s proposal includes several potential benefits, including a minimal incremental coast to the state, ings “and after ample debate” to maintain transparency.

“The actions taken in the coming weeks and months are of significant consequence, and we will not take them lightly,” he said. “I am hopeful we can

its taxpayers and Santee Cooper customers; opportunities for synergy and savings with Dominion, which purchased SCANA Corp., the parent company of S.C. Electric & Gas in 2019; and the fact that Dominion’s proposal could be adopted in conjunction with Santee Cooper’s reform plan.

The Department of Administration said the General Assembly may want to consider, among other things, that the benefits of the Dominion proposal may not be realized without reforms to the structure and culture of Santee Cooper; Dominion’s proposal does not include specific benchmarks; and the proposal does not address the nuclear project litigation.

NextEra’s bid

NextEra’s proposal would involve the company acquiring Santee Cooper’s electric utility assets, the wholesale water systems operated by Santee Cooper, and the hydroelectric facilities and other assets operated by Santee Cooper through a new utility subsidiary called Santee Cooper Power & Light.

SCP&L would also acquire all of Santee Cooper’s interest and assets from the V.C. Summer nuclear project, including the internal and external nuclear decommissioning trust funds, which was estimated in September to be $232.8 million.

Santee Cooper would retain all restricted and unrestricted cash and investments other than the nuclear decommissioning trust funds.

In return, NextEra would provide $541 million in refunds or rate credits to settle the nuclear project litigation; $400 million in rate credits for Santee Cooper customers; cash payments of $515 million to Santee Cooper to cover the cost of the bidding process and liabilities not assumed by NextEra; and defeasance or repayment of up to $6.859 billion of Santee Cooper’s debt. The state would also receive $500 million of unrestricted cash from Santee Cooper.

The transaction would be conditioned on adoption of new legislation by the General Assembly to address “certain matters that are traditionally under the purview of a public service commission,” such as approval of the transaction, establishment of an initial revenue requirement for the buyer, the imposition of a four-year fixed rate period and fee-in-lieu of tax provisions, among other items.

The Department of Administration also said that the General Assembly may wish to consider that NextEra’s proposal would reduce Santee Cooper’s workforce to 975 employees by 2025, liabilities retained by Santee Cooper would fall on all taxpayers and not just ratepayers, and that SCP&L would report to NextEra senior management in Juno Beach, Fla. determine the best outcome that will protect our citizens as well as the momentum of our economy.”

John Tynan, executive director of Conservation Voters of South Carolina, said the state is at a “generation-defining ener-

www.charlestonbusiness.com 15

“The actions taken in the coming weeks and months are of significant consequence, and we will not take them lightly. I am hopeful we can determine the best outcome that will protect our citizens as well as the momentum of our economy.”

Rep. Jay Lucas R-Hartsville Speaker of the S.C. House of Representatives

gy decision point.” Though Tynan said neither he nor his group is taking a position on the right path forward, he believes none of the three options presented does enough to promote clean energy.

“Yes, there is growth of clean energy in both the NextEra and Santee Cooper plans, but both of them fall way short of investing in clean energy in a meaningful way that will reduce pollution and create the jobs that we can and should be creating,” Tynan said.

New York City-based financial advisory firm Moelis and Co. was hired by the Department of Administration to evaluate the submitted bids, which also included proposals from Charlotte-based Duke Energy and Greenville investment firm Pacolet Milliken. John Colella, managing director of Moelis, told legislators that the process proved challenging for several reasons, including working with Santee Cooper, which he said “wasn’t necessarily the most willing participant in this process.”

Adams agreed, saying Santee Cooper caused setbacks by not providing funding as required by the joint resolution, attempting to cancel scheduled presentations with bidders, delaying signing of confidentiality agreements, and delaying the provision of information and data to bidders.

Overall, Colella said the Department of Administration estimates that Santee Cooper’s actions caused about two months of delays.

During a special called Santee Cooper board meeting a few days after the report was issued, Santee Cooper President and CEO Mark Bonsall said the utility tried its best to comply with what the state and its advisers required, including 20,000 pages’ worth of documents.

“Were there points of stress? Of course there were,” he said. “But at the end of the day, we complied, we complied on time, we complied fully and completely.”

CRBJ

Reach staff writer Patrick Hoff at 843-849-3144.

16

www.charlestonbusiness.com

IN FOCUS: TRENDS IN ENERGY

February 24-March 8, 2020

February 24-March 8, 2020

IN FOCUS: TRENDS IN ENERGY

We’re working hard for you, South Carolina.

Focusing on safety as our top priority Delivering historic results in service reliability Making it easier for customers to do business with us Improving the quality of life in communities we serve Providing a clean and sustainable energy future Valuing diversity and inclusion Investing in new technology and innovation

And we’re just getting started.

www.charlestonbusiness.com 17

16

www.charlestonbusiness.com

IN FOCUS: TRENDS IN ENERGY

February 24-March 8, 2020

February 24-March 8, 2020

IN FOCUS: TRENDS IN ENERGY

We’re working hard for you, South Carolina.

Focusing on safety as our top priority Delivering historic results in service reliability Making it easier for customers to do business with us Improving the quality of life in communities we serve Providing a clean and sustainable energy future Valuing diversity and inclusion Investing in new technology and innovation

And we’re just getting started.

www.charlestonbusiness.com 17

18

www.charlestonbusiness.com

IN FOCUS: TRENDS IN ENERGY

February 24-March 8, 2020

Net-zero buildings could reduce long-term facility costs

By Shamira McCray

A

smccray@scbiznews.com

business might set sustainability goals and strive to reach net-zero energy usage for any number of reasons. Bryan Cordell, executive director of The Sustainability Institute in North Charleston, said one reason might be to reduce operational costs.

Facilities constitute one of the largest expenses for many businesses, so being able to reduce long-term facility costs is important, Cordell said.

“I think this is on the forefront of a lot of people’s minds,” he said. “Businesses care about the environment. They want to attract people to their businesses. Consumers care about this, so businesses know that they need to be on top of these issues and trends in order to attract consumers.”

Zero-energy buildings produce enough renewable energy to potentially meet the annual energy consumption of the businesses that use the building.

A variety of aspects are involved in creating a zero-energy building — it’s more than just insulation, Cordell said. Businesses need an integrated, whole-building design approach that shows how the various components and systems work

together to reduce energy consumption.

For instance, the building’s shell, insulation, HVAC equipment, lighting, windows and other components should be designed to work in concert.

Rick Campana, an energy specialist at the S.C. Energy Office, said, “In addition to energy efficiency, renewable energy technologies would need to be incorporated in order to achieve net zero. Renewable strategies may include technologies such as solar photovoltaics, solar water heating, and wind turbines, and may be installed on- or off-site.”

Entities such as the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory fund research that is creating strategies to increase the number of zero-energy buildings around the globe.

Some industries are a better fit for a zero-energy building than others, depending on usage and the business or industry’s integral products and services.

Businesses with high energy use such as food service or laboratories would have a more difficult time reaching net zero, Cordell said.

“These businesses use more energy, and therefore it’s harder to produce a building that may be zero-energy,” Cordell said. “So it depends on what’s hap-

pening in the building, what the use of the building is, the amount — the square footage, the square foot area of the building, the number of floors of the building, all of those are factors.”

Alder Energy Systems LLC completed a net-zero building last year for Ross Printing in North Charleston. The project uses 225 Hanwha Q Cell solar panels to produce 86 megawatt-hours of clean energy annually.

Ross Printing, a printing and mailing company, offers products including business cards, posters, banners and booklets.

“We were excited to be able to consider using solar power to run our operation,” owner Jeremy Ross said in a news release.

“In addition to the environmental benefits, the federal and state tax credits made it affordable. We will be able to offset nearly all of our power usage, and the cost of the system is about what our average power bill runs.”

When the system is paid off, Ross said the company should be able to save more than $15,000 per year.

Alder and Ross Printing worked together to retrofit the building to bring it down to net-zero, according to Alex Nicholas, director of commercial sales and finance for Alder Energy Systems.

Ross also incorporated energy efficien-

cy strategies, such as upgrading the building’s HVAC system.

Cordell said South Carolina has code requirements for energy efficiency that are considered base-level energy conservation requirements. But there is a big leap between what is required in codes and what it takes to attain net zero, he said.

According to Campana, the state adopted the 2009 International Energy Conservation code in 2012, and it became effective over the following year.

No updates have been made to the energy code since then; any changes would require legislative action by the General Assembly.

“There are goals for the country and goals for the city to reduce carbon emissions,” Cordell said, adding that producing more zero-energy buildings is important to that goal.

“This is one area that we have to make really fast progress on,” Cordell said. “And the real key to this is sort of thinking about how buildings are designed in an integrated way so that we’re making them as energy efficient as possible but also producing as much solar energy as possible.”

CRBJ

Reach staff writer Shamira McCray at 843-8493119 or at @ShamiraTweets on Twitter.

POWER TO SUCCEED

Thanks to Santee Cooper resources like lowcost, reliable power, creative incentive packages and a wide-ranging property portfolio, South Carolina shatters the standard for business growth.

In fact, since 1988, Santee Cooper has helped generate more than $15 billion in investment and helped bring nearly 80,000 new jobs to our state.

It’s how we’re driving Brighter Tomorrows, Today.

www.poweringSC.com

IN FOCUS: TRENDS IN ENERGY

February 24-March 8, 2020

www.charlestonbusiness.com 19

Solar company brings green energy to Greenwood

P

Staff Report

ine Gate Renewables, a national utility-scale solar developer, is bringing 13 midsize solar farms to Greenwood County. The combined capacity from these sites totals 25.5 megawatts, enough energy to power roughly 4,845 homes annually, according to a news release. These projects will add to Pine Gate’s 16 projects in the state.

Construction of the 13 Greenwood County projects will be staggered over the next three years with the first three starting within the next few weeks, the news release said.

Development of these projects will bring construction jobs to Greenwood County and help boost the local economy with the temporary influx of additional contractors to the area, Erich Miarka, senior project manager for Pine Gate Renewables, said in the news release.

“Greenwood County, the city of Greenwood, and the (Greenwood) Partnership Alliance have been fantastic to work with throughout the process and were vital to this accomplishment,” Miarka said in the news release. “We are excited to bring more solar power to the Upstate and provide clean, renewable energy to the people of Greenwood County.”

Pine Gate Renewables is a U.S. solar energy developer that specializes in project finance, land origination, project development management and community outreach.

“We would like to welcome Pine Gate Renewables to Greenwood County,” County Council Chairman Steve Brown said in the release. “Their investment continues to grow our county’s reputation as a top business destination for industries of all types. We look forward to working with Pine Gate Renewables over the next several years as their solar installations come online.”

According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, 2,983 solar jobs existed within South Carolina at the end of 2019.

“The city of Greenwood is appreciative of Pine Gate Renewables’ decision to invest in solar within our municipality — a decision that will help diversify and grow our city’s economy,” Greenwood Mayor Brandon Smith said in the release.

“We are committed to being long term partners of Pine Gate Renewables and wish them great success.”

The company’s most recent project in the state was a 2.8-MW site called Bonefish Solar in Clarendon County. That site was online in December, and the company says it will create enough energy to power about 500 homes.

The Greenwood Partnership Alliance is a nonprofit organization established to promote and enhance economic growth and development of Greenwood County. Since 2007, the alliance’s efforts have resulted in the announcement of more than 3,400 new jobs and over $1.3 billion in capital investment in Greenwood County, according to the news release.

CRBJ

Cubico Sustainable Investments acquires 102-megawatt solar project in Midlands

C

Staff Report

ubico Sustainable Investments has acquired its third solar project in South Carolina.

The global renewable energy infrastructure company has acquired the 102-megawatt Midlands solar photovoltaic project in Calhoun County. The project has a 20-year power purchase agreement with Dominion Energy.

The acquisition brings London-based Cubico’s total capacity in South Carolina to more than 300 MW and its U.S. capacity to almost 600 MW. The company announced closing on all permitting, construction and financial agreements, and said construction has begun.

“This year we have strengthened our investment and operations teams in the U.S., which has allowed us to become the

largest solar PV owner in South Carolina, an exciting milestone for Cubico’s USA business,” Ricardo Diaz, head of Americas at Cubico, said in a news release.

Construction financing for the project was provided by Ohio-based KeyBank, according to the release.

“I’m delighted that we have acquired the Midlands project,” said Cubico USA head Oliver Alexander. “Because it is situated near to our other projects in the state, it will help us drive operational efficiencies in our local portfolio over time.”

Cubico started commercial operations at the 106-MW Palmetto Plains solar project in Orangeburg County last August. That project is near Cubico’s 100MW Huntley solar investment.

Cypress Creek Renewables is the developer of both Orangeburg County projects.

CRBJ

We know reliable power is key to the success of your business.

Our members average only 140 minutes a year without power.

That’s a 99.998% reliability rating and we’re working hard every day to improve it. Because at Berkeley Electric Cooperative, service comes second only to safety.

That’s part of the Cooperative Difference.

843-761-8200 www.berkeleyelectric.coop

2020 | SOUTH CAROLINA

MANUFACTURING CONFERENCE AND EXPO The Most Significant Manufacturing Event of the Year

Presented by:

SAVE THE DATE

October 29th & 30th, 2020 Greenville Convention Center Greenville, SC Join manufacturing suppliers and innovators across all industry verticals at South Carolina’s Most Significant Manufacturing Event of the Year.

The 2019 Conference included: • 2,800+ registered attendees • 280+ Exhibitors • 16 courses taught by instructors from SCMEP • Manufacturing 4.0 Breakfast: The Rise of Technology • Aero/Auto Symposium and Industry Forecasts • Executive Women in Manufacturing and Apprenticeships in Advanced Manufacturing panel discussions For questions about exhibiting or sponsorship opportunities, please contact Melissa Tomberg at (864) 720-1220 or mtomberg@scbiznews.com

Visit www.scmanufacturingconference.com for the latest updates

20

IN FOCUS: TRENDS IN ENERGY

www.charlestonbusiness.com

February 24-March 8, 2020

Recycling Companies Ranked by No. of Employees in the Charleston Area

Company

Phone / Website / Email

Top Official(s) / Year Founded

Materials Employees Accepted / Recycled

Santee Cooper 1 Riverwood Drive Moncks Corner, SC 29461

843-761-8000 www.santeecooper.com customercare@santeecooper.com

Mark Bonsall, Charlie Duckworth, Pamela Williams 1934

1,750

Biomass, construction demo., glass, miscellaneous, paper/cardboard, plastics, fly ash

Power

Nucor Steel Berkeley 1455 Hagan Ave. Huger, SC 29450

843-336-6000 www.nucor.com -

Giff Daughtridge 1996

1,000

Metals

Sheet and beam steel from recycled scrap metal

JW Aluminum 435 Old Mt. Holly Road Goose Creek, SC 29445

843-572-1100 www.jwaluminum.com info@jwaluminum.com

Lee McCarter, Stan Brant Jr., Ryan Roush 1979

400

Metals

Flat-rolled aluminum products

Giant Resource Recovery Inc. / Giant Cement Co. 654 Judge St. Harleyville, SC 29448

803-496-2221 www.grr-giant.com infogrr@elementia.com

Tammy Hamilton, Stephen Holt 1947

240

Organics, miscellaneous, petroleum

Processes bulk liquid and solid hazardous and non-hazardous materials into waste-derived fuel; the fuel is then burned in the manufacture of cement by Giant Cement

Charleston Steel & Metal Co. 2700 Spruill Ave. North Charleston, SC 29405

843-722-7278 www.charlestonsteelandmetal.com rbaker@charlestonsteelandmetal.com

Barry Wolff, Jonathan Steinberg 1893

100

Metals

Materials processing, raw material buyback, client services, usable steel sales

Carver Maritime 1400 Pierside St. North Charleston, SC 29405

843-779-0199 www.carvercompanies.com -

George McHugh, Jerry Ward, Nick Martin 2016

70

Metals

Equipment hauling, cement pneumatic delivery, overweight, oversize

Ladson Wood Recycling LLC 9421 U.S. Highway 78 Ladson, SC 29456

843-906-4870 www.Ladsonwoodrecyclingllc.com chips_chippers@hotmail.com

Grady L. Pipkin, Chip Keller 2008

30

Biomass, wood

Mulch

Meridian Metals Management LLC 2631 Industrial Ave. North Charleston, SC 29405

843-856-1045 www.meridianmetalsmgt.com diane@meridianmetalsmgt.com

Peter H. Lorris 2012

14

Electronics

Electronics

Blackrock Plastics LLC 215 East Bay St. Charleston, SC 29401

843-410-0326 www.blackrockplastics.com jkevany@blackrockplastics.com

Jim Kevany 2006

10

Plastics

Plastic recycler - post industrial plastics

Charleston Habitat for Humanity 731 Meeting St. Charleston, SC 29403

843-579-0777 www.charlestonhabitat.org info@charlestonhabitat.org

Lynn Bowley 1989

10

Construction demo., electronics, glass, Reusable items from landfill metals, miscellaneous, wood

Sonoco Recycling LLC 2025 Tellico Road Charleston, SC 29405

843-577-6840 www.sonocorecycling.com info@sonocorecycling.com

Mike Pope, Tim Nesbitt, John Oliver 1899

10

Paper/cardboard, plastics

Paper, cardboard, plastics

Sea Island Habitat for Humanity ReStore 3304 Maybank Highway Johns Island, SC 29455

843-559-4009 www.seaislandhabitat.org restore@seaislandhabitat.org

John Rhoden Jr., Matt Justice 1978

9

Construction demo., metals, textiles, wood

Gently used items accepted for resale

Custom Equipment Co. Inc. 2700 S.C. Highway 41 Charleston, SC 29492

800-922-6120 www.cecmhs.com sales@cecmhs.com

Robbie Lewis, Bobby Riggs 1978

6

Plastics

Storage: racks, cabinets, lockers, shelving; logistics: carts, conveyors, tuggers, dollies; facilities: modular offices, mezzanines, wire partitions and physical barriers; packaging

Fisher Recycling LLC 2750 N. Avenue B North Charleston, SC 29405

843-554-6099 www.fisherrecycling.com info@fisherrecycling.com

Elizabeth Fisher 1992

6

Glass, paper/cardboard

Customized glass recycling collection services for restaurants, hotels; office paper recycling programs; manufacturer of recycled glass countertops; glass landscape aggregate

Global Recovery LLC 139 Pioneer Gym Road Harleyville, SC 29448

843-462-2760 www.grllconline.com jeb@grllconline.com

John E. Beach 1996

6

Electronics, metals, organics, miscellaneous, paper/cardboard, petroleum, plastics, rubber, textiles

Plastic grinding and recycling; plastic of all types, hazardous waste management, chemical by-products, out-of-date or excess chemical purchases and asset recovery

Southeastern Plastics Recovery Inc. 4230 Scott St. North Charleston, SC 29405

843-849-1034 www.seplasticsrecovery.com serecov@bellsouth.net

John T. Votaw 1993

6

Construction demo.

Recovery, landfill diversion, post-consumer residential carpeting and carpet padding; pickup/drop-off service; post-industrial low-density polyethylene film; post-industrial high-density polyethylene

Target Materials LLC 8101 Palmetto Commerce Parkway Ladson, SC 29456

843-388-3905 www.targetcontractorsllc.com info@targetcontractorsllc.com

Austin Hays, David Evans 2008

5

Wood

Concrete

Because of space constraints, sometimes only the top-ranked companies are published in the print edition. View the full list online at www.scbiznews.com/buybusiness-lists. Although every effort is made to ensure accuracy, errors sometimes occur. Email additions or corrections to lists@scbiznews.com.

Specialization / Products Manufactured

Researched by Business Journal staff

February 24-March 8, 2020

Solar Companies

IN FOCUS: TRENDS IN ENERGY

www.charlestonbusiness.com 21

Ranked by No. of Kilowatts Installed in the Lowcountry in 2018, then alphabetically

Palmetto Clean Technologies 1505 King St. Extension, Suite 114 North Charleston, SC 29405 855-339-1831 www.palmetto.com info@palmetto.com Local Employees: 78 KW installed in 2018: 9,000 Installations in 2018: 500 Services offered: Residential solar systems, net metering systems, battery attachments, solar financial services, solar technology Alder Energy Systems 495 Jessen Lane Charleston, SC 29492 843-388-5493 www.alder-energy.com info@alder-energy.com Local Employees: 25 KW installed in 2018: 3,704 Installations in 2018: 47 Services offered: Solar design and installation services for commercial, industrial, utility and residential customers Boss Energy 4365 Dorchester Road, Suite 204 Charleston, SC 29405 843-864-7503

www.bosssolarenergy.com info@bosssolarenergy.com Local Employees: 11 KW installed in 2018: 200 Installations in 2018: 150 Services offered: Tesla powerwall, residential and commercial solar Southern Current 1519 King St. Charleston, SC 29405 843-277-2090 www.southerncurrentllc.com info@southerncurrentllc.com Local Employees: 100 KW installed in 2018: 7 Installations in 2018: 65 Services offered: Photovoltaic solar systems, energy storage, electric charging vehicles, solar farms, commercial solar, residential solar Blue Raven Solar 3251 Landmark Drive, Suite 242 North Charleston, SC 29418 843-620-0383 www.blueravensolar.com support@blueravensolar.com Edgewater Energy Systems 7361 Industry Drive North Charleston, SC 29418

Solaris Inc. 1896 Andell Bluff Blvd.

Johns Island, SC 29455 843-768-9363 www.solarisinc.com info@solarisinc.com SolarTek Energy of Charleston Inc. 7320 Industry Drive North Charleston, SC 29418 843-937-9999 www.solartekus.com charleston@solartekenergy.com

843-937-9999 www.edgewaterenergysc.com Hannah Solar Government Services 217 Cember Way, Suite C Summerville, SC 29483 843-718-1866 www.hsgs.solar info@hsgs.solar Local Employees: 34 Services offered: Solar Palmetto Solar 701 East Bay St., Suite 415 Charleston, SC 29403 843-720-1844 www.palmetto.com customer.care@palmetto.com Services offered: Residential solar systems, net metering services, battery attachments Santee Cooper 1 Riverwood Drive Moncks Corner, SC 29461 843-761-8000 www.santeecooper.com customercare@santeecooper.com Local Employees: 1,750 Services offered: Landfill gas, solar, wind, hydro, biomass

South Carolina Solar 2398 Clements Ferry Road, Suite D Charleston, SC 29492 843-510-7500 www.sc.solar info@sc.solar Services offered: Grid-tied, battery backup and off-grid systems, specializing in trellis, pergola, lean-to, shed, rooftop and ground mounts, generators and energy efficiency services Vivint Solar 2430 Air Park Road Charleston, SC 29403 843-614-3826 www.vivintsolar.com

Blackbaud HQ Daniel Island, SC 115.13 kW PV System

COMMERCIAL • UTILITY • RESIDENTIAL

alderenergy S O L A R

We make solar simple.

Alder Energy Systems South Carolina’s Trusted Solar Company 495 Jessen Lane, Charleston, SC | www.alder-energy.com | 843.388.5493

22

www.charlestonbusiness.com

February 24-March 8, 2020

GROW YOUR BUSINESS - RESERVE YOUR BOOTH!

The North Charleston Business Expo showcases the Lowcountry’s most dynamic businesses on an exciting, interactive show floor.

This must-attend event, in its sixth year, offers the business community, from small business entrepreneurs to senior executives, the premier opportunity to connect with local professionals, create new relationships, and discover new resources for business growth.

Contact Kim McManus today at (843) 849-3116 or kmcmanus@scbiznews. com, for more information about available booth space.

Reserve your booth online today: www.NorthCharlestonExpo.com

BOOTH REGISTRATION DEADLINE: MARCH 27

Power Lunch: 11:30 – 1pm Business Expo: 1pm – 5pm Networking Reception: 5pm – 6:30pm

Thursday, May 14

Charleston Area Convention Center

Sponsored by:

For sponsorship information, call Steve Fields at (843) 849-3110.

#NCHSXPO