{"id":4568,"date":"2013-07-07T10:47:42","date_gmt":"2013-07-07T14:47:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/?p=4568"},"modified":"2013-07-07T11:01:24","modified_gmt":"2013-07-07T15:01:24","slug":"it-is-not-enough-to-add-a-little-solar-and-wind-on-top-of-fossil-and-fission-fuels-a-german-ga-psc-2013-06-18","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/07\/it-is-not-enough-to-add-a-little-solar-and-wind-on-top-of-fossil-and-fission-fuels-a-german-ga-psc-2013-06-18.html","title":{"rendered":"It is not enough to add a little solar and wind on top of fossil and fission fuels –a German @ GA PSC 2013-06-18"},"content":{"rendered":"

\r\nA German national residing in Georgia\r\nasked for a serious effort on energy efficiency and conservation\r\nwhile switching to real renewable energy sources instead of\r\nfossil fuels and nuclear,\r\nat\r\n\r\nthe Georgia Public Service Commission meeting Tuesday 18 June 2013<\/a>.\r\n

\r\nShe said increasing fires and floods were part of climate change,\r\nand we need to do something about it.\r\n

\r\n\r\n<\/a>\r\nI always hear this phrase “growing energy demand” as if it’s something,\r\nsome matter of fact.\r\nA growing economy means growing energy demand, and that means\r\nconsequently growing waste, growing pollution, growing inequity,\r\nand so on.\r\nAny thinking person should notice that we need to find a way out.\r\nFor anyone concerned about our future, business as usual is\r\nno longer acceptable.\r\nWe need drastic changes in our energy supply.\r\nWe need to use less.\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

\r\n\r\n<\/a>\r\nOnly a month earlier, Tom Fanning, CEO of Georgia Power’s\r\nparent company Southern Company\r\n\r\nreemphasized yet again that<\/a>\r\n

\r\nTo us, growing the economy is how we\u2019re going to make profit.\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

\r\nYet GA PSC could do something about that antique attitude,\r\nas this speaker pointed out:\r\n

\r\n

\r\nI want to call your\r\nresponsibility to regulate Georgia Power.\r\nInstead of rubber-stamping\r\nGeorgia Power’s business as usual,\r\nyou should make them commit to energy efficiency\r\nand support consumers in using less energy and thereby paying less.\r\n

\r\nAfter tapping the full potential of efficiency and conservation,\r\nthe electricity that is still needed has to come from renewable\r\nresources.\r\nIn Germany the energy transformation to sustainable sources\r\nis driven by distributed energy supply,\r\nand not by the monopolists.\r\nAnd this… has a lot of positive side effects, like\r\nmore jobs, more autonomy to local communities,\r\ncleaner air and water, and local added value.\r\n

\r\nIt is not enough to add a little solar and wind\r\nalthough that’s a start.\r\nBut it’s not enough to add these things\r\non top of the old extractive energy sources, as fossil and fission fuels.\r\n

\r\n\r\n<\/a>\r\nGeorgia has a long way to go, and it \r\nneeds fundamental changes now.\r\nWe can’t afford to wait another twenty years.\r\nAnd it is possible with a serious effort\r\nin the state to save up to 30% of our electricity\r\nwithin the next ten years.\r\nTwenty years to focus on developing clean solutions,\r\nand I mean clean solutions, and not nuclear.\r\n

\r\nAnd talking about nuclear,\r\nadditionally to the twenty years plan to meet electricity demand,\r\nI would like to see from\r\nGeorgia Power a\r\none million year plan to safely\r\nstore the radioactive waste that they are producing.\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

\r\nHere’s\r\n\r\nthe video:<\/a>\r\n<\/p>\r\n

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