{"id":314,"date":"2012-11-21T11:12:48","date_gmt":"2012-11-21T16:12:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2012\/11\/gasu-wins-at-ga-psc-but-will-gasu-help-all-of-us-win-in-the-legislature.html"},"modified":"2012-11-21T11:12:48","modified_gmt":"2012-11-21T16:12:48","slug":"gasu-wins-at-ga-psc-but-will-gasu-help-all-of-us-win-in-the-legislature","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2012\/11\/gasu-wins-at-ga-psc-but-will-gasu-help-all-of-us-win-in-the-legislature.html","title":{"rendered":"GaSU wins at GA PSC, but will GaSU help all of us win in the legislature?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\nGA PSC Stan Wise’s 2009 nuclear CWIP lobbying points eerily matched Southern Company’s,\nbut suddenly he’s got separation-of-powers religion about Georgia Solar Utilities (GaSU).\nThe PSC recommended GaSU’s utility bid anyway.\nWhen the legislature takes that up in a month or so, will GaSU CEO Robert Green,\nunlike SO or Georgia Power or Stan Wise, help the rest of us little people\nfix the 1973 Territoriality law so we can sell our solar electricity\non a free market?\n<\/p>\n

\nDave Williams wrote for the Atlanta Business Chronicle yesterday,\n\nGeorgia Public Service Commission moves ahead on solar energy<\/a>,\n<\/p>\n

\n

\n\n\"Georgia<\/a>\nThe Georgia Public Service Commission approved a plan by Georgia\nPower Co. Tuesday to acquire an additional 210 megawatts of solar\ngenerating capacity, more than tripling its investment in solar\nenergy.\n<\/p>\n

\n\n\"GA<\/a>\nBut a sharply divided PSC also gave a potential competitor to\nGeorgia Power its blessing to appeal to the General Assembly to\namend a 39-year-old law that gives the Atlanta-based utility the\nexclusive right to continue serving existing customers.\n<\/p>\n

\nUnder Georgia Power’s Advanced Solar Initiative, the company will\nbuy solar power produced by both large \u201cutility-scale\u201d\nsolar farms and from smaller projects operated by residential and\ncommercial property owners.\n<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\nRight, that’s actually\n\nonly 10 Megawatts from “smaller projects”,<\/a>\nmaintaining Georgia Power’s monopoly while throwing throwing\na bone to the rest of us.\n<\/p>\n

\n

\nWhile the PSC supported Georgia Power’s plan unanimously, a\nsubsequent motion by McDonald encouraging other solar utilities\ninterested in serving Georgia to pursue their plans with the\nlegislature passed by the narrow margin of 3-2.\n<\/p>\n

\nGeorgia Solar Utilities Inc., a company launched in Macon, Ga.,\nearlier this year, filed an application with the PSC in September\nfor authority to generate solar energy in Georgia on a utility\nscale.\n<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\nThe two Nay votes were from the two recently-reelected PSC members,\napparently now thoroughly in the pocket of the incumbent utilities.\nHere’s one of them now:\n<\/p>\n\n\n

\n

\nBut Commissioner Stan Wise said the PSC has no business taking sides\non an issue likely to go before Georgia lawmakers.\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cIf they’re successful across the street, so be it,\u201d he\nsaid, referring to the location of the state Capitol. \u201c[But]\nfor us to involve ourselves in what goes on across the street is\ninappropriate.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\nMy, hasn’t Stan Wise gotten separation-of-powers religion recently!\nMore recently than 26 February 2009, when\n\nhe testified before\nthe U.S. House Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment Hearing on Renewable Energy:<\/a>\n<\/p>\n

\n

\nMy name is Stan Wise. I am a publicly elected Commissioner of the\nGeorgia Public Service Commission. As a regulator, I am responsible\nfor ensuring that retail electricity customers receive safe,\nreasonably priced, reliable electric service.\n\n\"Solar<\/a>\nI am concerned that a\n\u201cone size fits all\u201d federal Renewable Portfolio Standard\n(RPS) mandate fails to recognize that there are significant\ndifferences among the states and regions in terms of available and\ncost-effective renewable energy resources, and that having such a\nstandard in energy legislation will ultimately increase consumers’\nelectricity bills.\n<\/p>\n

\nWe should be discussing ways to promote clean energy of all types.\nWe need to develop and deploy all energy sources that can ensure an\nadequate supply of energy in the future, that can power our economy\nand that moves us toward improving our environment, especially in\nways that reduce greenhouse gases. Major energy sources that can\nmeet those needs include nuclear, coal with carbon capture and\nsequestration, natural gas, energy efficiency as well as wind,\nsolar, biomass and geothermal.\n<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n\n\"Stan<\/a>\n\n\"Thomas<\/a>\nIt’s funny how Wise’s list of energy sources is\n\nexactly the same in exactly the same order<\/a> as that of\nSouthern Company CEO Thomas A. Fanning.\nWise and Fanning: separated at birth?\nOr just similarly financed?\nHey, we can always use more than the\n\n32 reactors we’ve already got within 500 miles of Valdosta!<\/a>\n<\/p>\n

\nThe very same day that Wise testified,\n\nthe Georgia House voted on<\/a>\n\n\"three-legged<\/a>\nSB 31, the Georgia Nuclear Energy Financing Act that approved\nConstruction Work in Progress (CWIP) charges by Georgia Power\nfor electricity from the new nukes at Plant Vogtle that customers\nwon’t get for years if ever,\nCWIP, the first leg of Southern Company’s\n\nthree-legged nuclear regulatory-capture stool<\/a>.\nThe stool\nthat supports SO and Georgia Power’s nuclear boondogle on the Savannah River\nwhile\n\nother states<\/a>\nget on with\n\ninstalling wind and solar power<\/a>,\nbut not Georgia.\n<\/p>\n

\nBack to the ABC story:\n<\/p>\n

\n

\n\n\"1973<\/a>\nBut the commission’s staff recommended that the PSC dismiss the\napplication, citing the 1973 Georgia Territorial Electric Service\nAct.\n<\/p>\n

\nRather than dismiss the proposal outright, however, the commission\nin essence urged Georgia Solar Utilities to appeal to the General\nAssembly to amend that law and open up the solar business to\ncompetition.\n<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\nRight, the PSC tossed the hot potato to the legislature that approved CWIP with SB 31.\nI suppose that’s better than recommending against it.\n<\/p>\n

\n\n\"Lower<\/a>\nI recommend to GaSU, as I have before, that if they want to win\nthey need broad-based public support, and if they want that they need to\ngo beyond just lobbying to get GaSU approved as another utility.\nthey need to be more pro-active about supporting “smaller projects”\nsuch as housetop and business roof solar.\nAnd that means lobbying to change the 1973 Territorial Electric Service\nAct to enable a free market in locally-generated electricity,\nsellable through each rooftop’s local utility to a variety of buyers,\nwith the utility taking a cut for carriage.\nPlease, don’t just say you tried to contact Dr. Smith once and that’s it.\nDr. Smith tried to win at the legislature last session without much public support, and lost. You could lose, too. Or you could win with public support.\n<\/p>\n

\n

\n\n\"GaSU<\/a>\nRobert Green, CEO of Georgia Solar Utilities, said his company is\nprepared to fight for its right to compete for business in Georgia\nwhen lawmakers convene this winter.\n<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\nThat’s great, GaSU CEO Green, but what about the right of the rest of us\nto do what’s legal in about 46 other states, but not in Georgia?\nIf you want us to help you, you need to help us.\nRemember,\n\nJanuary 2013 is also when Georgia Power raises rates.<\/a>\nThat would be a perfect time to get Georgia Power customers on your side,\nespecially if you give them some reason to believe you are on their side.\n<\/p>\n

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