The Rise of the Super South in Climate Innovation and Action
A clean industrial revolution is here. For decades, experts have pointed out the importance of shifting our energy producing and commercial sectors towards a more eco friendly, but still profitable, way of doing things. With public concern for climate change growing, the time to act is now — and we have the resources, technology and know-how to lead the way.
But change can’t happen in a vacuum. Just like the original industrial revolution sprung up in the unique conditions presented by the manufacturing centers of Britain in the 1780s, we need a place for a new way for capitalism to continue to begin building its foundations for global success.
Although California and the coasts grab the spotlight, a real center for a greener, cleaner growth based future might be somewhere that surprises you: the so-called “Super South.” Presenting a unique opportunity for a more eco-friendly future, the region is a nexus of climate science and resiliency excellence. Here’s what you need to know about the next chapter of global growth — the Super South way.
Intellectual Curiosity Meets Real World Impact
Steam powered the first industrial revolution, with great engines running the factories, transportation and even urbanization of the era on the power of smoke and fire. The clean industrial revolution will be built not on steam, but on the power of innovation — and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a region more innovation friendly than the Super South. Georgia alone is home to over 50 cleantech startups and a growing number of battery plants, including Freyr Battery’s $2.57 billion in a gigantic battery cell production facility in Coweta County, GA and SK Battery America is completing construction of a $1.67 billion EV battery factory in Commerce, GA, expected to employ 2,000 people later this year. There’s a very good reason the South’s reputation as a home for cleaner innovation is continuing to grow.
The region possesses a uniquely dense concentration of universities known for their research and impact on the world of climate action. The Southeast is home to over twelve renowned research institutions, including Auburn University, Clemson University, Duke University, Emory University, Georgia Tech and 25+ state universities, which contribute to cutting-edge climate science and innovation. For example, North Carolina State University hosts the Southeast Climate Adaptation Science Center, which collaborates with various institutions to implement climate adaptation strategies. We need the tech to build bigger, better and cleaner, and research hubs like these will lead the way. Georgia Tech’s Drawdown Georgia Business Compact, ATDC and Create X initiatives are the perfect example of how Southern universities are focusing on climate resilience and promoting an atmosphere of innovation.
The Super South is also home to a high concentration of climate-focused think tanks and research centers contributing critical resources to this important work. Think tanks such as the Cox Cleantech Accelerator, Joules Accelerator, the Energy and Environment Policy Center at Duke University and the USDA Southeast Climate Hub play a crucial role in climate policy, adaptation strategies and scientific research. The U.S. Department of Energy is funding laboratories like SETx-UIFL in Texas to redefine climate modeling and support at-risk communities. A growing network of nonprofits like Georgia Climate Project and Georgia Cleantech Innovation Hub completes the picture.
By combining the powers of universities, research centers, non profits and think tanks, the Super South is positioning itself as a home for climate friendly innovation. Big ideas are coming, and we’re in the right place to receive them, and create the conditions they need to take off and change the world.
Optimal Conditions for Greener Growth
The Super South has the raw materials for innovative thinking, but we also critically have the infrastructure and conditions to transform these innovations into new ways of being. This is evident in our growing cleantech innovation ecosystem. Rivian, Tesla and numerous cleantech businesses are establishing innovation centers and manufacturing plants in the Southeast, including Rivian’s $5 billion electric vehicle battery plant in Georgia.
The region has attracted nearly half of all clean energy projects put forward since the Inflation Reduction Act became law in August 2022. The Super South also accounts for $428 billion of total U.S. clean investment since 2018, the highest among all regions. The Super South also hosts a growing network of clean tech companies, incubators and accelerators like the Atlanta Clean Energy Challenge. These institutions are making great strides towards a cleaner world, and they’re perfectly placed to do so, thanks to the region’s geography.
The South is the ultimate strategic location for renewable energy.? North Carolina has attracted over $21 billion in clean energy commitments, expected to create nearly 12,000 new jobs. The Super South region is poised to expand solar and offshore wind energy, with states like Florida and South Carolina exploring large-scale solar projects and offshore wind farms off the coast. Florida now generates over 49 times as much solar energy as it did a decade ago, and Duke Energy Florida plans to build 12 new solar plants between 2025 and 2027, adding 900 megawatts (MW) of clean energy to Florida's grid. Year round sunshine and key coastal access make generating green power cleaner and easier than ever before.
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Lastly, there’s the area’s growing framework of a hub for hydrologic innovation along with resiliency and adaptation strategies for coastal communities. The University of Alabama, known for its water-related research capabilities, in partnership with the Tuscaloosa County Economic Development Authority (TCEDA) and Techstars has created two innovative programs focused on water technology and sustainability for early stage water tech startups. The Super South is also home to extensive work on climate adaptation, particularly in vulnerable coastal regions like Florida and Louisiana, as well as urban mitigation, where efforts focus on flood control, coastal protection and local ecosystem restoration. Project Learning Tree, in collaboration with the University of Florida, has developed a module to educate students about climate change impacts on forest ecosystems and adaptation strategies. Conservation, forestry and regenerative agriculture are becoming key practices in our adaptive development throughout the region.
In the Super South, we know the pain of climate change first hand. That’s why we’re so eager to find mitigation strategies wherever we can.
Key Government Support
Lastly, even the most determined private innovators can’t succeed without government support. The Super South has that too.
On a national level, the Inflation Reduction Act has injected significant federal funding into climate-related initiatives, including $369 billion for clean energy and climate programs, benefiting regional efforts to reduce emissions and increase energy efficiency. The Super South benefits from both federal and state-level climate programs, such as the Department of Energy’s Clean Energy Demonstration Program, funding research, innovation and climate-related projects.
In addition, a growing number of state and city level actors are lending their support to the region’s push for a cleaner future. Alabama and Mississippi are advancing carbon capture and storage technologies, with major investments from both companies and government agencies aimed at reducing emissions from industrial sectors. Alabama has also received $5.8 billion in investments for heat pump technology, the second-highest in the country. Tennessee has attracted $18.4 billion in investments for the purchase and manufacture of zero-emission vehicles since 2018, second only to California.
Meanwhile, Southern cities like Atlanta and Charlotte are investing in green infrastructure, electric public transport and sustainable urban planning, pushing for greater resilience to climate impacts and reducing their carbon footprints. These urban changemakers are lighting the way to a cleaner future, with more sustainable, eco-friendly growth for all.
With the new administration in the White House, some may worry that these steps will be undone. We believe that regardless of political changes on a national stage, there’s no holding back the Super South. This issue is practical in our region — not political. As a region that’s vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, the South has a solid, practical justification for changing the way we conceptualize growth.
The Super Southern Way
Business friendly and offering a high quality of life, the South is steadily attracting an influx of the nation’s best and brightest. The Biden Administration U.S. Dept. of Energy Secretary Granholm has noted that Georgia leads the nation in cleantech manufacturing investment, and the rest of the region is following close behind.
With a unique confluence of environmental, cultural, legislative and economic opportunities, the Southeast is poised to step into the limelight as the next leading region in the fight to future-proof the world. Uniting visionaries in the heart of Atlanta, the upcoming Super South | Summit for Climate Innovation and Impact will be a place to share ideas about mitigating climate risk, and celebrate the progress we’ve already made towards a greener, more resilient future. Together, we can pave the way towards sustainable long term growth and our collective brighter future.