Monthly Archives: March 2016

Six percent of Georgia’s electricity produced by renewables, an oft-overlooked detail

Wind-farm-e1458585058390by David Pendered
ATLANTA 3/21/16 — As Georgia Power proposes to expand its use of renewable energy resources, one part of the conversation that gets scant attention is the considerable amount of energy already being generated from renewable resources.

All told, Georgia Power expects to have nearly 1,000 megawatts of solar resources online or under contract by the end of this year, company spokesman John Kraft said Monday.

Six percent of Georgia’s electricity generation comes from renewable resources, including hydroelectric power, according to a report by the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Residential rates are 17.3 percent lower than the U.S. average, according to the EIA.

Read the whole article: Saporta Report

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Solar energy on cusp of real success in Georgia, panelists say

15205610by Jim Thompson
ATHENS 3/18/16 — The sun may be starting to shine on solar as a viable alternative energy, but cost and scale continue to be issues, according to a panel brought together Thursday night in Winterville to discuss the solar energy industry.

Drew Bowen of Watkinsville-based Turnsol Energy, a solar energy installation company he operates along with Drew Bowen Electric, a traditional electrical installation firm, told a crowd at the Winterville Depot that a few years ago, solar energy conferences he attended were popular among a core group of jeans-wearing advocates. Now, he said, those conferences are attracting “three-piece suits and tassel loafers … There’s money in solar.”

Read the whole article: Athens Banner-Herald

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Georgia Power eyes site for possible new nuclear plant

022215-nuke-price-bs8-1

by Russell Grantham
3/18/15 — Georgia Power has chosen a site south of Columbus where it may build a new nuclear plant sometime after 2030, according to documents filed with state regulators.

The company said it has not decided yet to build more nuclear plants in Georgia, but confirmed that it has begun preliminary studies for a possible plant on 7,000 acres that it owns next to the Chattahoochee River in northern Stewart County.

The rural county is just below Fort Benning and Columbus in west Georgia.

Read the whole article: Atlanta Journal-Constitution

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Solarize Athens extends deadline for initiative to boost solar energy use

15202970by Jim Thompson
ATHENS 3/17/16 — Solarize Athens, an initiative to triple the number of solar power installations across Athens-Clarke, Madison and Oconee counties through the bulk purchase of equipment and installation services, has extended its application deadline to April 30.

Colleen McLoughlin, solar campaign organizer for Environment Georgia, one of the environmental groups behind Solarize Athens, said ongoing local interest in the program prompted Solarize Athens to extend the deadline by a month, to give more homeowners and business owners an opportunity to consider installing solar power equipment.

Read the whole article: Athens Banner-Herald

 

 

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