Tag Archives: Georgia Power

Zero percent down solar installations for Georgia? Change a 1973 law first

Who would pass up cutting their monthly electric and transportation costs by 60%? Well, people in Georgia will get passed by unless we change an antique 1973 law.

Chris Mooney wrote for Washington Post 24 December 2014, How solar power and electric cars could make suburban living awesome again,

…the solar-EV combo may just be too good for suburbanites to pass up — no matter their political ideology. Strikingly, the new paper estimates that for a household that buys an electric vehicle and also owns a solar panel system generating enough power for both the home and the electric car, the monthly cost might be just $89 per month — compared with $255 per month for a household driving a regular car without any solar panels.

I’m no fan of sprawl, Continue reading →

Georgia Power can’t get a schedule from its own contractors for Vogtle nuclear project

After two years of no integrated project schedule (IPS), Georgia Power tried to get the the elected Public Service Commissioners to tell it how to enforce a contract for Plant Vogtle that Georgia Power brought to them. This video clip ends with formerly staunch pro-nuclear Commissioner H. Doug Everett saying any company that did that probably would be imprudent. And Everett also said:

We haven’t seen any results.

Georgia Power’s representative, I think Rob Trokey, said:

We have agreed haven’t we that the company does not manage this project. They oversee it, they may report to this commission the status of it, but it does not manage this project.

Answer from the Commission:

It doesn’t.

So who does? According to Georgia Power: Continue reading →

Valdosta recognized for solar power, LED lighting, wastewater improvements

City of Valdosta PR today 5 December 2014, Valdosta Named “Smart Energy Municipality of the Year”,

The City of Valdosta was named “Smart Energy Municipality of the Year” by the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) on Dec. 4, at an awards banquet held at the Georgia Tech Wardlaw Building in Atlanta, Ga. The event recognized successful individuals, businesses and municipalities who have shown dynamic leadership over the past year in Georgia’s large and growing Smart Energy sector.

Sixty nominations were received collectively in the three categories. In the municipality category, which includes cities, counties and state government agencies, the City of Valdosta was one of two finalists and the overall recipient of the award ” the other finalist was the Georgia Department of Corrections.

“We are extremely honored Continue reading →

Georgia Power plans to change all streetlights to LEDs

Terri Lupo. South Region Vice President at Georgia Power, has provided further information on Valdosta converting to LED streetlights.

She said on the telephone yesterday that Georgia Power met with Valdosta City Manager Larry Hanson last week. Georgia Power plans over next four years to change out all the streetlights in Georgia, from high pressure sodium (or whatever they’re currently using) to LED lighting. She says that will be more efficient, and will provide more light, with a better pattern of coverage. Valdosta had already expressed interest, so they were one of the first to join this LED streetlight program.

She said it’s not surprising Tim Carroll was a little vague on the details, since Georgia Power is Continue reading →

China can go 80% sun, wind, water power by 2050 –WWF

300x424 Cover, in China's Future Generation, by WWF, February 2014 If the most populous country in the world can do it, even the Sunshine State and the rest of the world can do it. With no new nuclear, depending heavily on on energy efficiency and conservation, using China’s huge number of rooftops for solar power, with almost as much wind power, plus a bit more hydropower, China can go 80% renewable energy by 2050. While reducing energy use per capita and increasing GDP per capita. So this path will not only improve Chinese quality of life by getting rid of massive pollution by reducing emissions 90% from otherwise-projected levels; it will also give Chinese citizens more money in their pockets. China has no more sunshine than the U.S. or much of Canada does, so there’s no reason the Canada, U.S., and pretty much every country can’t do this, too. Continue reading →

Valdosta converting to LED streetlights

Council Tim Carroll says that City Manager Larry Hanson announced at the City Council meeting Tuesday that Valdosta will be converting all its streetlights to LEDs. This conversion is at least partly funded through a pilot program with Georgia Power. Apparently Georgia Power keeps the savings until they recoup the expenses. Valdosta was one of only four or five cities in the state selected for this program.

More detail when the approved minutes are available in two weeks.

-jsq

Solar project underway at Robins Air Force Base

WCTV via AP 5 October 2014, Solar project underway at Robbins Air Force Base,

The Telegraph reports that land has been cleared on a 57-acre tract near Georgia Highway 247 to make room for solar panels.

Wayne Crenshaw wrote for the Telegraph 3 October 2014, and spelled Robins Air Force Base correctly, Solar array project changes landscape south of Robins,

Previously the 57-acre tract next to Ga. 247 just south of the Museum of Aviation was forestland, but those trees have been cut down over the past month to make way for the solar array….

But what would probably catch people’s eye the most is Continue reading →

NYC Schools to use more solar power; how about in sunny southeast?

Solar high schools: not just for Dublin, Georgia anymore. New York City, and Rochester, NY, too! How about solar Lowndes High School? Or the new Valdosta High School? Or since Valdosta has already put solar at its Mud Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant, how about on other city buildings? How about on the county palace? Or in Hahira, Dasher, Remerton, or Lake Park?

Erin Durkin wrote for New York Daily News 29 September 2014, 24 NYC schools getting solar panels in $28M project — and City Hall could be next, Continue reading →

SolarCity in Buffalo: 1,000 megawatts capacity, 3,000 jobs

Three times as many millios of dollars invested as expected, 3,000 jobs, and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says “they could have gone anywhere on the planet”. They could have come here. They went to snowy Buffalo.

David Robinson wrote for Buffalo News 23 September 2014, ‘Historic day for Buffalo,’ Zemsky says of SolarCity RiverBend plans,

SolarCity’s planned factory in South Buffalo — and the 3,000 jobs that come with it — packs a powerful economic punch.

To be built on the former Republic Steel plant site in South Buffalo, the factory is expected to bring more new jobs to the region than the steel maker ever had in its heyday.

With the ability to make enough solar panels to generate more than 1,000 megawatts of electricity, the factory would be Continue reading →

Videos: Georgia Power, Rotary, Tires @ VLCIA 2014-08-19

They (maybe) finally settled on their new name: Valdosta-Lowndes County Development Authority; see Minutes. Interesting discussion about Express Scripts, and some details about presenters at the next day’s Community Economic Development meeting. I talked about the Alapaha River Water Trail.

And they are talking about spec[ulative] building, such as they liked when they saw it in Douglas and Valdosta Mayor Gayle liked in Vidalia.

Here’s the agenda, with a few notes, and links to the videos.

300x225 VLCIA, in VLCIA, by John S. Quarterman, 19 August 2014 Valdosta-Lowndes Development Authority
Tuesday, August 19, 2014 5:30 p.m.
Development Authority Conference Room
103 Roosevelt Drive
Monthly Meeting Agenda
Continue reading →