Energy Policy: Green Power

By Susan Zinga, Southface Director of Energy Policy

Over the years, Southface has made great strides in helping to make buildings more energy efficient. This year, however, we’ve taken steps to impact energy usage in a different way. We’re now taking an active role in energy-related issues that affect our daily lives through education, advocacy and research work in the policy arena. One of the latest additions to the Southface team of experts is Susan Zinga, our Director of Energy Policy. She has 20 years of experience with some of the most critical energy issues facing Georgia today. Her focus will be on the often-confusing area of electricity supply and demand, giving expert advice on how our needs can be met with environmentally responsible solutions.

One solution is green power, which is another name for the electricity generated from renewable energy resources. It has proven to be popular in many other states around the nation and will soon be available for purchase in Georgia. Green Power EMC, an affiliation of sixteen Georgia electric membership cooperatives (EMCs), will offer customers the option of paying a small premium over their current electric bills to support the use of alternatives to fossil fuel electricity generation. This power will be sold in 150 kWh blocks to residential customers. Commercial customers can also sign up for green power. The minimum monthly commitment for these customers is determined by the size of the customer’s load. Georgia Power is also developing a green power program that is scheduled to roll out early next year. Residences, commercial businesses and even industry may participate.

Initially, biomass fuels from landfills will be used to provide green power in Georgia. But to be certified as green power, these sites must meet emission standards established as part of the accreditation criteria for green power in this state. So look for the green-e certification when buying green power. In addition to landfill gas, other states have developed successful power generation applications from other biomass sources such as agricultural waste from animals and crops. It’s still too soon to tell, but there may be significant opportunity for Georgia to turn its agricultural byproducts into cash crops by becoming suppliers to utilities’ Green Power programs.

Solar and wind are other ways to generate green power. Here in Georgia, wind power is less feasible because consistently strong winds are necessary to create cost-effective wind applications. But solar, on the other hand, is a perfect fit for our natural weather patterns. Photovoltaic, or PV, systems convert sunlight to electricity. Research and development efforts, coupled with increased market penetration, are making this technology more productive and less costly. Manufacturing costs have fallen 24 percent in the past year and installations across the nation have multiplied. Museums, schools, stadiums and amusement parks are some of the many applications that are currently utilizing PV to meet a portion of their electricity needs. Although power generated from PV systems is generally expensive, it may still be a cheaper alternative to the costly power from generating units used only during peak periods. In addition, solar power has no emissions and it provides electricity when it is needed most, on hot summer days.

One of the frequently asked questions regarding green power is “How does the electricity from these generating units reach my home or business?” Actually, the power from “green” sources doesn’t go to your site in particular even though you’re paying the premium. It displaces power that might otherwise be generated from fossil fuel or even nuclear plants. So, your support of green power can help improve air quality and stimulate a market for environmentally friendly solutions to meet our energy needs.

Feel free to call us or stop by Southface to learn more about green power and how you can help the environment while you use electricity. And look for this column in each upcoming Southface Journal to keep informed about the latest developments in energy policy.