{"id":4673,"date":"2013-07-11T17:35:40","date_gmt":"2013-07-11T21:35:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/?p=4673"},"modified":"2018-08-26T09:03:09","modified_gmt":"2018-08-26T13:03:09","slug":"more-solar-by-georgia-power-ga-psc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/07\/more-solar-by-georgia-power-ga-psc.html","title":{"rendered":"More solar by Georgia Power –GA PSC"},"content":{"rendered":"

\r\nIt’s a win for jobs and clean air and plenty of water in Georgia!\r\nDoubled requirements on solar power, and a dozen coal plants shut down.\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/a>\r\n

\r\n2, 4, 6, 8, solar power can’t wait!\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

\r\n\r\nThe\r\n\r\nastroturf resistance fizzled<\/a>, while the pro-solar grassroots\r\ncoalition won.\r\n(Pictures of the two demonstrations by Ted Terry.)\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\n525 megawatts more solar power required, on top of\r\n\r\nlast year’s 210 megawatts<\/a>, for more than 735 MW total.\r\nThat’s still\r\n\r\ntrailing New Jersey’s already-installed 1,000 MW<\/a>,\r\nbut it’s a big step forward.\r\n

\r\n\r\nThe vote was either 4 to 1 (\r\nRay Henry of AP<\/a>)\r\nor 3 to 2 (Georgia Sierra Club tweeting from the Commission chamber).\r\nAs\r\n\r\nRay Henry tweeted<\/a>:\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\n“All opposed, say aye.” Wait, what? #gapsc\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

\r\n\r\n<\/a>\r\nI’m guessing at least one nay vote was Stan Wise, judging by these\r\n@gasierraclub tweets:\r\n

\r\nSierra Club – Georgia Chapter: \r\n
\r\n\r\nGeorgia Beyond Coal @GaBeyondCoal 2h<\/a>\r\n
\r\n#GaPSC, Everett: remember Both @GeorgiaPower and PSC Staff Testified that #GaSolar Proposal will Not Raise Rates. #CleanEnergy\r\n
\r\n\r\n<\/a>\r\n\r\nGeorgia Beyond Coal @GaBeyondCoal 2h<\/a>\r\n
\r\n#GaPSC Commissioner Stan Wise Going on an Extensive Irate Diatribe Against Clean Energy, His Colleagues, and @gasierraclub #GaSolar\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

\r\nSeth Gunning of GA Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal confirms:\r\n

\r\n

\r\n\r\n<\/a>\r\nAnd Chuck Eaton. Eaton proposed an amendment that would increase the\r\ndistributed generation in Mcdonalds proposal from 100mw to 250. That\r\namendment was voted down by Echols, McDonald, and Everett. I think\r\nthis is why Eaton did not support the proposal.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\nUpdate 2013-07-12:<\/strong> from Seth Gunning\r\n

\r\nTo clarify. Eaton and Wise voted against McDonalds solar proposal (Eaton was a nay because- we assume- his motion to expand distributed generation in the proposal failed). Wise was the only one who voted “no” on the final IRP order which included the approved 525mw of solar, Eaton did vote yes on that.\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

\r\nJoeff Davis wrote for Creative Loafing today,\r\n\r\nPSC approves plan ordering Georgia Power to add more solar power<\/a>,\r\n

\r\n

\r\nState regulators today approved a plan that would require Georgia\r\nPower to use more solar energy—a move the powerful utility,\r\nbacked by some conservative organizations, fought. The actual impact\r\nof the plan that could add more than 525 megawatts of solar power in\r\nGeorgia passed today by the Public Service Commission must still be\r\nanalyzed.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nBut today’s hearing and vote capped several weeks of heated debate\r\nand questions about solar power’s future in Georgia. People on both\r\nsides of the issue packed a standing-room only hearing today at the\r\nPSC. Demonstrators called for more clean energy at a pro-solar\r\nenergy rally in front of the Gold Dome. And inside the Capitol, a\r\nconservative group warned of financial consequences of expanding\r\nsolar energy in Georgia.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nThe day started with roughly 40 pro-solar demonstrators rallying in\r\nfront of the Gold Dome with sign and chants like “2, 4, 6, 8, solar\r\npower can’t wait.” Demonstrators, which included members of the\r\nSierra Club and Georgia Tea Party Patriots, fanned across Washington\r\nStreet in front of the Capitol. The group cheered when their\r\nenthusiasm was met by honking cars.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\n“I support clean energy, I support not blowing up the Appalachian\r\nMountains [to obtain coal] and I prefer being on the right side of\r\nhistory,” said Chris Theal. Sierra Club volunteer Nina Dutton said\r\nshe came to the rally because the PSC’s vote on solar energy offered\r\nan “unusual opportunity to push Georgia Power in the right\r\ndirection.”\r\n<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n

\r\nPR by Colleen Kiernan of Sierra Club and Ashten Bailey of GreenLaw today,\r\n\r\nHISTORIC ENERGY PLAN RETIRES ONE-FIFTH OF GEORGIA POWER’S COAL PLANTS , CREATES NEW SOLAR PROGRAM:\r\nPositions Georgia as Clean Energy Leader in the Southeast<\/a>,\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\n

\r\nToday the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) voted to approve\r\nGeorgia Power’s proposal to retire 20% of its coal plants and added\r\na major new program to bring 525 megawatts (MW) of solar power\r\ndevelopments to Georgia by 2016. The Sierra Club and GreenLaw\r\ncommend the Commission for its initiative, which will help stabilize\r\ncustomer electricity rates while creating jobs and accelerating\r\nsolar development in Georgia over the next several years. Groups\r\nfrom across the political spectrum came together Thursday morning to\r\nrally in support of solar. Only three turned out for the anti-solar\r\nrally hosted by Americans for Prosperity. See\r\n\r\npictures<\/a> here.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\n“Solar is the best bet against rising electric rates —\r\nthe fuel will always be free and you’ll never have to spend millions\r\non environmental controls,” said Colleen Kiernan, director of\r\nthe Georgia Chapter of the Sierra Club. “Georgia Power just\r\nfiled for yet another rate increase to pay for obsolete, unnecessary\r\ncoal plants, while Georgia’s Public Service Commission is providing\r\ntrue leadership and protecting consumers.”\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\n\r\n<\/a>\r\nCommissioner Lauren “Bubba” McDonald proposed the new\r\nsolar developments as an amendment to Georgia Power’s proposed 2013\r\nenergy plan, which lays out how the utility will generate and\r\npurchase power for its customers for the next twenty years. The plan\r\ncalls for 525 MW of new solar developments, to be developed in 2015\r\nand 2016, extending and expanding last year’s Advanced Solar\r\nInitiative, which will bring 210 MW of solar power to Georgia by\r\n2015. Georgia is fifth in the nation for solar energy potential, yet\r\nis currently ranked 38th for the total number of solar power\r\nprojects installed.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\n“Before the Commission proposed this new solar development,\r\nGeorgia Power’s long-term energy plan had no program to add clean\r\nenergy,” said Ashten Bailey with GreenLaw. “With this\r\nnew initiative, we’re no longer at the back of the pack and can\r\ntruly compete to be a clean energy leader in the Southeast.”\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\n\r\n<\/a>\r\nGeorgia Power currently has more generating capacity than is needed\r\nnow or for the foreseeable future. As a result the Sierra Club,\r\nrepresented by GreenLaw, argued against new spending on coal units\r\nthat are not needed to meet customer demand and will need new\r\npollution control retrofits in order to meet health standards.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nToday’s new solar proposal provides another opportunity for Georgia\r\nPower to completely phase out its expensive and unnecessary\r\ncoal-burning units at Plant McIntosh. Nationwide, utilities are\r\nphasing out aging and dirty coal-fired power plants as clean energy\r\npowers more and more American homes and businesses. Since 2010, 149\r\ncoal-fired plants have been announced for retirement.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

\r\n -jsq\r\n<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It’s a win for jobs and clean air and plenty of water in Georgia! Doubled requirements on solar power, and a dozen coal plants shut down. 2, 4, 6, 8, solar power can’t wait! The astroturf resistance fizzled, while the pro-solar grassroots coalition won. (Pictures of the two demonstrations by Ted Terry.) 525 megawatts more […]","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[556,216,17,8,18,2,23,24,55],"tags":[8779,280,1544,8753,1087,8707,8701,8708,379,8699,8702,12,7,8713,8714,108,1322,1088,6,8727],"class_list":["post-4673","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-air","category-coal","category-ga-psc","category-georgia","category-georgia-power","category-government","category-renewable-energy","category-solar","category-water","tag-air","tag-bubba-mcdonald","tag-chuck-eaton","tag-coal","tag-doug-everett","tag-ga-psc","tag-georgia","tag-georgia-power","tag-georgia-sierra-club","tag-government","tag-lake","tag-lowndes-area-knowledge-exchange","tag-lowndes-county","tag-renewable-energy","tag-solar","tag-southern-company","tag-stan-wise","tag-tim-echols","tag-valdosta","tag-water"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p585fK-1dn","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4673","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4673"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4673\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20450,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4673\/revisions\/20450"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4673"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4673"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4673"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}