{"id":2546,"date":"2011-01-01T14:36:49","date_gmt":"2011-01-01T19:36:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2011\/01\/a-center-of-innovation-excellence-for-renewable-and-sustainable-energy-in-georgia.html"},"modified":"2011-01-01T14:36:49","modified_gmt":"2011-01-01T19:36:49","slug":"a-center-of-innovation-excellence-for-renewable-and-sustainable-energy-in-georgia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2011\/01\/a-center-of-innovation-excellence-for-renewable-and-sustainable-energy-in-georgia.html","title":{"rendered":"A “center of innovation excellence for renewable and sustainable energy in Georgia”?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/a>\nIn a recent message, Brad Lofton wrote\n\n“we plan to move on now and focus our attention on new job and tax revenue creating projects.”<\/a>\nOK, what are those projects?\n

\nBack in September Brad Lofton told me that VLCIA had\n(beyond whatever Wiregrass LLC is doing)\n\n“other renewable green energy projects”<\/a>,\nwhich he then\nrefused to describe.<\/a>\n

\nWhen I asked about these projects at\n\nthe 21 Dec 2010 VLCIA board meeting,<\/a>\nboard member Gary Minchew responded that VLCIA couldn’t talk about sensitive\nnegotiations, but they didn’t want to be secretive.\nEarlier I had been talking to the fellow sitting to my left\nabout his green energy project and whether VLCIA was going to move\nforward on it.\nHe pointed out to the board that he and I were facebook\nfriends and linked on LinkedIn.\nHe’s sending me some information; more on that when I get it.\nMeanwhile, I wonder why the board wouldn’t talk about his project,\nand I remain dubious that VLCIA has any other\n“renewable green energy projects”.\n

\nIn that same meeting,\n\nCol. Ricketts and Brad Lofton went on for some time about\nsolar energy,<\/a> saying they were answering citizen concerns.\n

\n<\/param><\/param><\/param><\/object>\n

\nAs one of the people who has asked them most frequently about solar energy,\nI have to say\n\n\ntheir answers did not satisfy me, and that they never\nasked me whether that was the case, even though I was sitting right there.\nNo VLCIA board member or staff even mentioned\n\nmy LTE in the VDT the previous day,<\/a>\nor addressed any of my specific questions from it\nwithout prompting by me in the meeting.\nEven then the board made it clear (see above) that they weren’t\ngoing to talk about new green energy projects (see above).\n\n\n<\/a>\nNo mention of\n\nMAGE SOLAR<\/a> and its 350 jobs in\nDublin, Georgia.\n\n<\/a>\nNo mention of\n\nSuniva’s 500 jobs that went to Saginaw, Michigan, a place that has a plan.<\/a>\n

\nPerhaps the VLCIA doesn’t read the newspaper of record.\nAccepting invitations from board members Gooding and Jennett\nto contact them with any concerns, I will be sending such concerns\ndirectly to the board in writing in future.\n

\nAnyway, as I asked in my LTE,\n\nWhat is the Industrial Authority’s plan to bring in real clean jobs?<\/a>\nCol Ricketts\n\nsaid in that board meeting<\/a> that\nWiregrass LLC building a solar facility addresses solar concerns,\nthat it is a “key component of our renewable energy portfolio,”\nand together with the biomass plant it will make us a\n“center of innovation excellence for renewable and sustainable energy in Georgia.”\n

\nThat’s right, the biomass plant with 25 jobs and a tiny\nbag-on-the-side solar plant are<\/em> VLCIA’s renewable energy plan!\n

\nOr maybe they have some secret plan they won’t tell us.\nBeing secretive is not how Solar Valley Michigan got many many more\ngreen energy jobs than Suniva’s 500 jobs.\n

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