New Bill Could Help Georgia Grow as a Solar Market

      Local Public Service Commissioner Lauren "Bubba" McDonald, Jr., had noted that "Georgia is the third best state for solar energy in the United States but ranks 35th in actual solar installations, even the cost of panels have decreased 33%." In fact, the state has the same solar potential as central Africa or India, with most areas of the state generating between 4.92 and 5.21 kilowatt hours per square meter per day.
      With all this to be considered, Georgia represents an unmarked opportunity to grow. Therefore, it's no surprise that Georgia Solar Utilities company is backing the "Rural Georgia Economic Recovery and Solar Resource Act of 2013." This bill is enabled to create a unique financing model for solar energy, wherein third parties (like Georgia Solar Utilities) can submit proposals to the Public Service Commission for financing and aggregating solar energy.
      Some of the details enlisted in the bill have the capacity to help Georgia grow in terms of the solar market. The statute clears roadblocks like interconnection and grid access for generating assets and this entire program is on an opt-in basis. Competitive bidding on construction and installation will be creating market incentives to help lower the soft costs of solar panel installations. Since photovoltaic and solar farms are covered under the statute, neighborhood homes in Atlanta could have solar power on their roofs while unused fields in the country can yield 30-megawatt solar farms. If the sun decides to shine in either place, ratepayers in both areas reap the benefits as well as this geographical distribution also brings about less variability.
     "The world has changed for the economics of solar in Georgia, but we're stuck with 40-year-old laws that block us from taking advantage of it," said Robert Green, CEO of Georgia Solar Utilities. "So we're offering a conservative, no-brainer proposition: let a private company bear all the downside risk for investing in solar with no upward pressure on utility rates, and let ratepayers reap the upside of future cost savings as solar prices fall."

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