Commercial Solar in Myrtle Beach, SC

Which Myrtle Beach businesses benefit most

Hotels and resorts run air conditioning, laundry and pool equipment through the day all summer, so most of their solar output is used on site, the hour-by-hour netting under DG-25 works in their favour, and little is exported at the low credit.

Oceanfront towers, though, have small roofs relative to their load; carports over parking can add area. Restaurants have kitchen and refrigeration load from late morning, but their roofs are often small and crowded with equipment.

Retail and warehouses, with 1,858 retail establishments in the county, tend to have large flat roofs and steady daytime load. Offices, schools and nonprofits have daytime load but quiet summers or weekends, so more output exports. Farms elsewhere in Horry County are covered on solar for farms near Myrtle Beach.

Demand charges and why they decide Myrtle Beach commercial ROI

On GA-25 and GB-25, the demand charge per kW is several times larger than a month of energy for that kW.

GA-25’s billing demand is the greater of the month’s measured demand or 30% of the highest measured demand in the preceding eleven months, so one peak in July echoes through the off-season, which matters for a seasonal business that is quiet from November to February.

Panels lower demand only when the sun is out at the moment the peak occurs. A cloudy afternoon at the wrong hour and the month’s demand is set anyway.

That is why commercial proposals here should show demand savings separately, conservatively, and with the interval data behind them, and why storage or controllable load (pool heaters, laundry, chillers) often does more for the demand line than extra panels.

Sizing, interconnection and installation for a Myrtle Beach business

DG-25 caps a non-residential system at the lesser of 1,000 kW or the estimated maximum monthly demand.

Because exports earn only 4.15¢, size to the load you can use in the hour, which for most hotels and big-box retail means the roof fills before you hit the cap.

Any distribution upgrades Santee Cooper needs are billed to the customer under the rider.

On the City side, the Solar Photovoltaic Plan Review Requirements apply to commercial work under the 2021 International Building Code and 2020 NEC, with sealed drawings, a structural analysis and a utility-approved interconnection request.

All commercial solar projects also need Community Appearance Board approval. Flat-roof ballast and wind design on a coastal high-rise is engineering work for a South Carolina PE.

Commercial solar incentives in Myrtle Beach

Santee Cooper’s Solar Home rebate is residential only, and we found no Santee Cooper commercial solar rebate.

South Carolina’s Clean Energy Credit (Form TC-54) is available to businesses, capped at $500,000 a year with a 15-year carryforward; the older Solar Energy Property Credit (TC-58) for very large systems is listed by SCDOR as repealed.

Federally, Leased and business systems may use §48E; it ends for wind and solar placed in service after 2027 where construction begins after 4 July 2026 (Form 3468 instructions; Notice 2025-42). Confirm eligibility with a tax adviser. Statewide detail: commercial solar in South Carolina.

Storage, financing and ROI for Myrtle Beach businesses

Storage earns its place on a business bill here through the demand line.

Financing routes are cash, equipment loans and commercial leases; a third-party PPA is not permitted in South Carolina, and a lease needs a lessor certified by the Office of Regulatory Staff.

A credible ROI for a Myrtle Beach business shows energy savings, demand savings and export credits as separate lines, uses Santee Cooper’s current schedule and twelve months of interval data, and states the export credit assumption, which Santee Cooper adjusts at least annually.

For homes, see Myrtle Beach battery storage and Myrtle Beach solar cost.