Paul Wolff at his house on Tybee Island
said air practically whistles through open electrical plugs,
so stopping those up saves a lot on heat and air conditioning.
Here’s the video:
Electric outlet plugs —Paul Wolff @ Tybee Island 2012 02 17
renewable energy,
Paul Wolff, The Volta Collaborative (TVC),
Tybee Island, Chatham County, Georgia, 17 February 2012.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
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John Sibley wrote for SaportaReport Sunday, Solar power bill would give Georgians more choices Have you gotten used to thinking you have no choice on your power
Times are changing. More and more of us are discovering choices forContinue readingmanaging our power costs. Beyond the time-honored practice of turning off the lights leaving the room, we can find light bulbs that pay for themselves in a year or so; and we can find appliances, water heaters, and air conditioners that pay for themselves in a few years. After that, the savings are like getting part of your power free.
Now, on-site solar power has become an economical option for many. Deals for rooftop solar panels can be done in Georgia today that will provide power for 25 years for as little as 10 cents per kilowatt-hour. Many Georgians can save money from day one. Since rates in Georgia have gone up 49 percent in seven years, they can also protect themselves against increases.
More and more Georgians are choosing on-site solar, but
Paul Wolff showed us his programmable electric meter
at his house on Tybee Island.
It shows night, day, evening hours….The still picture shows Paul and Gretchen comparing notes on solar generation and usage over time. He writes his on a pad of paper. She records hers on an iphone. Either way works.That’s exclusive of the solar. This is strictly what I’ve used off the grid. The solar, I keep a spreadsheet.
Here’s the video:
Programmable electric meter —Paul Wolff 2012 02 17
renewable energy,
Paul Wolff, The Volta Collaborative (TVC),
Tybee Island, Chatham County, Georgia, 17 February 2012.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
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Paul Wolff explains weatherstripping on his door on Tybee Island.
Inexpensive and very effective.
Here’s the video:
Weatherstripping —Paul Wolff, Tybee Island, 2012 02 17
renewable energy,
Paul Wolff, The Volta Collaborative (TVC),
Tybee Island, Chatham County, Georgia, 17 February 2012.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
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After the
ribbon cutting for a new solar installation in Bryan County,
Dr. Sidney Smith talked about
a distributed commodity market in solar power,
plus
large private investment utility-scale solar plants,
and then he told LAKE about
the
Georgia Energy Trust Fund.
Here’s the video:
Georgia Energy Trust Fund —Dr. Sidney Smith 2012 02 17
South Eastern Pathology Associates,
Selling Power, Lower Rates for Customers LLC (LRCLLC),
Richmond Hill, Bryan County, Georgia, 17 February 2012.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
We donate 1.5% of the money we make to this trust fund for the county…. Now we invest that money in Georgia bonds for the county. And then the county only gets half of the interest So the funds we donate for these counties will grow forever as a result of what we’re doing with the trust fund…Continue readingIt’s invested in us, roads, airplanes, deep water, stuff like that.
And that’s the key actually.
After the ribbon cutting for the new Tabby Solar and Lower Rates for Customers installation in Richmond Hill, I asked Dr. Sidney Smith about using electric meter technology for utility-scale solar plants, for example 1-5 megawatts, for which there is private venture capital seeking opportunities.
Here’s Part 1 of 2:
Private investment in utility-scale solar plants Part 1 of 2:
South Eastern Pathology Associates,
Selling Power, Lower Rates for Customers LLC (LRCLLC),
Richmond Hill, Bryan County, Georgia, 17 February 2012.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
Dr. Smith said that was possible, plus he’d already been talking to some potential German investors,
If our system works as we have designed, they’d like to invest 100 million or more.
That would be quite a bit of solar energy!
Here’s Part 2 of 2:
Private investment in utility-scale solar plants Part 2 of 2:
South Eastern Pathology Associates,
Selling Power, Lower Rates for Customers LLC (LRCLLC),
Richmond Hill, Bryan County, Georgia, 17 February 2012.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
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Georgia Power trots out the same old tired disinformation it’s been peddling
for years.
As if we didn’t already know that almost all solar installations in Georgia
are installed by certified solar installers.
Or that pretty much every inverter these days comes with built-in
automatic cutoff if the grid goes down to which installers add
air-gap cutoff knife switches plus breakers.
And as if Georgia Power didn’t know
it and EMCs could charge a percentage on electricity arbitraged
across their networks,
which gapower could use to finance any needed grid improvements, while
retaining a hefty profit for doing not much of anything else.
Meanwhile, those of us who chose to participate in solar electricity arbitrage
would get lower rates for customers.
We do know all that,
but maybe your state senator doesn’t, so maybe you should call your
senator today and tell them you want to be able to buy and sell solar
power without having to get it from the utility monopoly.
Greg Roberts, Vice President of Pricing and Planning for Georgia Power in Atlanta, wrote for the Savannah Morning News today, The solar sleight of hand. I’ll only quote part of his concluding paragraph.
Georgia Power is involved in many efforts to expand the use solar energyUsually dragged along behind reluctantly, Continue reading
Dr. Sidney Smith explained how the electric meter he’s developed
uses cellular technology to facilitate direct billing from
solar generator and customer.
Gretchen asked him what if they generate more than they use.
Dr. Smith said they wouldn’t.
I asked what if they added more panels.
He said they could, but there are trees in the back.
Here’s Part 1 of 5:
Enabling a commodity market in solar power: Dr. Smith’s electric meters Part 1 of 5:
South Eastern Pathology Associates,
Selling Power, Lower Rates for Customers LLC (LRCLLC),
Richmond Hill, Bryan County, Georgia, 17 February 2012.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
He forgot about the parking lot out front where the panels he just connected are located: no shading there, and plenty of room for more solar panels.
Dr. Smith said the best places for solar are where there is no shade and near power poles. Gretchen asked how do you finance? Dr. Smith answered, Continue reading
Yet in only four states — Georgia, Florida, North Carolina and Kentucky Mdash; are third party power purchase agreements disallowed, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.But Georgia Power convinced that committee that it would raise rates for everybody else. Which is pretty rich coming from the same gapower that is already charging customers Construction Work in Progress for its nuke boondoggle. So SB 401 sponsor Sen. Buddy Carter found another way.
Mary Landers wrote for the Savannah Morning News Friday, Solar bill jolted back to life:
To revive his bill, Carter tacked it onto to one already sent to theHelp him feel even better about it. Contact the committee chair and tell him we want solar cogeneration:Regulated Industries Committee — SB 459, which would allow consumers to opt-out of smart meters like the ones Georgia Power is currently installing in Savannah. The committee held a hearing on the bill Thursday, ultimately tabling it, and saying they wanted more information about how power purchase agreements work in other states.
Carter was elated.
“It’s out there now and people are aware of it,” he said. It’s getting media attention. I feel good about it.”
Senator William LigonOh, regarding the meter opt-out in the main body of the bill, why let gapower charge people for that? You can mention to Sen. Ligon that people should be able to opt out for free.
404-656-0045
william.ligon@senate.ga.gov
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PS: Owed to Bob Ingram.
Dr. Smith speculated that Georgia Power might try to stop
solar installations like
the one he just opened in Richmond Hill
last Friday.
But can you imagine the power company coming and cutting our power offDoes Georgia Power really want to be seen opposing Lower Rates for Customers?and telling Dr. [inaudible] he has to pay more money? I don’t think that’s going to happen.
Maybe so, since Georgia Power
opposes SB 401, which would
facilitate exactly what Dr. Smith is doing.
You can help pass SB 401.
Call
your state senator, or
sign the petition.
Here’s the video:
Can you imagine the power company coming and cutting our power off? —Dr. Sidney Smith 2012 02 17
South Eastern Pathology Associates,
Selling Power, Lower Rates for Customers LLC (LRCLLC),
Richmond Hill, Bryan County, Georgia, 17 February 2012.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
Our goal is simply to make power available to all people at the lowest rates….He remarked this was their second installation. The first was at the Driftaway Cafe. They have another planned. A fourth one was supposed to be at a nearby orphanage, but Georgia Power wouldn’t allow it.
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