State Sen. Tim Golden used Yogi Berra to illustrate that solar power is no longer just a theory: it’s now implemented in practice.

Yogi said, and I quote:

In theory, there’s no difference between theory and practice, but in practice, there is.

…

I thought about that quote because solar power at one time was a theory, and now it’s in practice.

A very good point.

(This is also where Sonny Murphy got the idea to quote Yogi Berra.)

Sen. Golden mentioned that he and Sonny Murphy grew up with Gov. Nathan Deal.

He said he met Pete Marte of Hannah Solar at the governor’s office the previous day, at the signing of HB 346, which includes solar tax credits. That’s the bill that Wes Hudson said “extends the renewable energy tax credit to the year ending Dec. 31, 2014, and for the years 2012, 2013 and 2014 it newly expands the total statewide credit amount from $2.5 million to $5 million in each of the years 2012-2014.”

Sen. Golden once again said we’d gone from theory to practice.

He lauded Jimmy Carter for putting solar panels on the White House and “they have since come down.” (He neglected to mention who took them down, namely Ronald Reagan. I told Sen. Golden later that if he kept complimenting Jimmy Carter, people might think he’s a Democrat, which, of course, he was until recently.) Anyway, Sen. Golden claimed solar power was a theory back then but is in practice now.

He complimented Ted Turner as an entrepeneur for the Atlanta Braves and 24 hour news.

Ted Turner is a very significant player. He believes in solar power. Where his current headquarters is located he’s going to have solar power built on the parking lot, and all the energy for that building is going to come from solar power.

Office buildings mostly use energy during the day, when the sun shines. Put solar panels on their parking lots and you get shade for the cars and power for their buildings.

Sen. Golden then cited Data Technologies for solar panel use, which kicks in during peak times.

Think about that for a minute. If we can have solar power kick in at peak times, what that does for energy conservation. This is a very significant day!

In other words, baseload is irrelevant.

Sen. Golden complimented the various other speakers.

Sonny, thank you for the investment in Valdosta. Thank you for bringing in jobs. Thank you for loving solar power. I truly believe it’s a technology whose time has come and will be a significant player in the future as we try to become an energy-independent nation and state.

As a recent study from Arizona State University said, Georgia is #3 in the top 10 states that could benefit most by generating solar electricity. Let’s do it!

Here’s the video:

“Solar power at one time was a theory, and now it’s in practice” —Sen. Tim Golden
Commissioning Ceremony,
Wiregrass Solar, Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 12 May 2011.
Videos by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

-jsq

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