New Georgia utility pitches solar plant

 

Georgia Power is retiring two coal-fired units at Plant Branch, part of a move to reduce the Atlanta-based utility’s reliance on coal.

 

But when Georgia Power officials declined to take part in the project last May, Georgia Solar Utilities executives decided to build the plant on their own and operate it as a new utility independent of Georgia Power.

 

Once cost prohibitive, solar energy has become competitive with fossil fuels because of the rising costs of coal and tighter government regulation of coal emissions, said Robert Green, founder of Georgia Solar Utilities.

 

“When you don’t have to buy coal or worry about environmental hangovers, it overwhelms the costs of fossil fuels, Green said Thursday after presenting the proposal to the Georgia Public Service Commission’s Energy Committee.

 

One potential legal hurdle is whether a new utility operating a solar power plant would violate a law passed by the General Assembly in 1973 giving Georgia Power exclusive rights to continue serving existing customers.

 

Commissioner Lauren “Bubba” McDonald, who last year called on the PSC to more aggressively pursue solar energy opportunities, said it might be time for the legislature to change the 39-year-old law.

 

“It has worked and served its purpose,” he said. “[But] maybe it needs to be tweaked a little bit to come in line with today’s standards and technology.”

Green said Solar Energy Utilities already has obtained bond financing for the project, taking advantage of historically low interest rates.