A major big city daily?
A local newspaper of record along the proposed pipeline path?
Nope: the Valdosta State University student newspaper, The Spectator,
has done what its bigger newspaper colleagues have not dared:
oppose the Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline and demand renewable
energy instead.
Where students lead, maybe their elders will follow.
Editorial in The Spectator 1 May 2014 (I added the links and images), Pipeline a risk to Valdosta, Continue reading
No, that can’t be: NRC hasn’t said it’s up after Salem 1 was scrammed down last week.. Of course, NRC never posts events or status on weekends, no matter what’s down, up, or on fire.
Bill Gallo Jr. wrote for the South Jersey Times yesterday, Salem 1 nuclear reactor returns to service after faulty valve is repaired,
The Salem 1 nuclear reactor was returned to service today, less than 48 hours after a leaking valve caused the plant to be shut down.
The plant began sending electricity out over the regional power grid at 4:47 p.m. today, according to Joe Delmar, spokesman for the reactor’s operator, PSEG Nuclear….
On Thursday, operators became aware Continue reading
Two nukes down Friday: “lowering reactor water level was due to the trip of all three Feedwater Pumps” (Pilgrim 1 in Massachusetts) and “unidentified leakage” (Salem 1 in New Jersey). That’s the fifth downtime for Entergy’s Pilgrim 1 this year: cold, heat, leak, and now feedwater pumps. Remind me about the reliability and safety of big baseload nuclear?
Event Number: 49296 Facility: PILGRIM,
REACTOR PROTECTION ACTUATION (SCRAM)
“On Thursday, August 22, 2013 at 0755 hours [EDT], with the reactor critical at approximately 98% core thermal power, and the mode switch in RUN, a manual reactor scram was inserted due to lowering reactor water level. The cause of the lowering reactor water level was due to the trip of all three Feedwater Pumps. The cause of the Feedwater Pump trip event is currently under investigation.
“Following the reactor scram, Continue reading
Georgia Power tries to continue whistling in the fossil and nuclear fuel dark while distributed solar power changes the world around it. The Georgia Public Service Commission can decide differently, and will decide next week, 11 July 2013.
Joshua Stewart
wrote 2 July 2013,
Decision Looms On Georgia Power Plan,
The state Public Service Commission votes next week on Georgia Power’s 20-year plan, the road map for providing electricity to 2.4 million customers. That includes the mix of fuels the company will use and the efforts the company undertakes to get customers to use less energy. This happens every few years. But this time, Georgia Power also wants to retire 16 coal- and oil-fired power-generating units at six power plants.
This happens every few years. But this time, Georgia Power also wants to retire 16 coal- and oil-fired power-generating units at six power plants.
PSC Commissioner Lauren “Bubba” McDonald said at a hearing in April that this version of Georgia Power’s plan “is filled with the most-significant issues” of any Integrated Resources Plan in the last decade.
And Georgia Power avoids actually facing many of those issues:
Continue reading
Videos of the morning part of the 18 June 2013 Georgia Public Service Commission
Administrative Session,
which was mostly about two Georgia Power dockets
on closing coal plants
and future energy,
plus a
telecommunications rules docket.
First they had a lengthy
devotional on Joseph sold into slavery to the Egyptians (Georgia Power
probably didn’t like being referred to in that manner).
There was a sign posted outside the door:
do not enter; devotional in progress.
Chairman Eaton finally started the meeting with Continue reading
Commissioner McDonald wants twice as much solar power from Georgia Power,
while Commissioner Stan Wise asked questions leading to Georgia Power
maybe saying that would cost more, yesterday at the Georgia Public
Service Commission in Atlanta.
Doubling from 271 megawatts planned to more than 500 MW would be good;
at least that’s a start on
catching up to New Jersey’s already-installed 1,000 MW.
Jacksonville.com reported today, Georgia Power tells regulators adding solar generation will cost consumers more: PSC Commissioner Lauren “Bubba” McDonald wants Georgia Power to double solar generation, Continue reading
Other states, even New Jersey and far-north Michigan,
are beating Georgia to solar jobs.
Why isn’t sunny Georgia leading in one of the fastest-growing industries in the country that is deploying rural jobs everywhere else?
Hint: who’s
holding a shareholder meeting this month?
Carin Hall wrote for energydigital 13 May 2013, Solar Jobs Outnumber Texas Ranchers and US Coal Miners: New statistics show that solar is one of the fastest growing industries in the US, creating thousands of jobs across the country
There are now more solar energy workers in the state of Texas than there are ranchers, according to solar research group The Solar Foundation.
The group’s data mapping out solar jobs across the nation also showed that there are more solar jobs in California than actors, and more solar workers than coal miners nationwide. Sunny states like California and Arizona topped the list. Wyoming came in last, with just 50 workers, while Utah showed a mere 290 solar workers despite being one of the country’s sunniest states.
Even the states with less sunshine like New Jersey and Michigan showed a high number of solar jobs—thanks to favorable tax and regulatory policies that help attract developers to cope with high electricity prices.
New Jersey is #9 and Michigan is #15 according to
The Solar Foundation’s map of State Solar Jobs.
Where’s Georgia?
Number 41 in solar jobs per capita.
Yet Michigan is #47 by maximum solar resource and New Jersey is #36,
while Georgia is #18: much sunnier than those northern states.
Why is Georgia so far behind?
LEGAL STATUS OF THIRD-PARTY OWNERSHIP: NOT ALLOWED
Because of Continue reading
California and Texas ahead of Georgia in solar power, sure, but Maryland and Massachusetts, small and far to the north with less sun? Does that seem right to you?
According to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA),
Georgia should be number 5.
Georgia should be moving up the rankings as fast as any state except
maybe Arizona or Colorado, according to
an Arizona State University study of two years ago that said
Georgia was third among state that would
benefit from solar deployment through generating and exporting energy to other states.
The U.S. as a whole
keeps installing far more solar power each year,
but Georgia Power and Southern Company keep holding Georgia back.
It’s great that Valdosta will soon get
2 more megawatts of local solar power.
But while we’re waiting for Georgia Power to slowly get around to doling out
277 megawatts over several years,
New Jersey has 1,000 megawatts already installed.
Georgia is #22, behind #21 Connecticut.
Why do we let that continue?
-jsq
Earth Week at the University at Buffalo, featuring the Solar Strand,
3,200 solar panels generating 750 kilowatts
about 1,000 miles north of Valdosta State University.
Rutgers U. in New Jersey has 8 solar megawatts
coming from a parking lot.
If there, why not here? -jsq
While Georgia
failed to reform its antique Territorial Electric Service Act
and
toyed with a solar monopoly,
New Jersey, far to the north with far less sun,
finished installing a gigawatt (1,000 megawatts) of solar power.
The rest of the
U.S. installed 3.3 MW total, slightly higher
than projections of 3.2 MW, but Georgia lagged behind.
When will the legislature and the Public Service Commission,
and perhaps more importantly, Georgia Power and Southern Company,
stop
stop wasting our money on that three-legged nuclear regulatory-capture boondoggle
at Plant Vogtle
and get on with solar in Georgia for jobs, for profit, and for clean air and water?
Pete Danko wrote for Earth Techling and Huffpo 20 March 2013, New Jersey Solar Capacity Hits 1 Gigawatt,
Continue reading