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www.starnewsgaonline.com StarNews January 14, 2024 Page 11 Carroll EMC hosts annual Power Breakfast event to share current state of co-op: “the electric grid is changing - from fossil fuel to renewable generation” from press release Local and statewide stakeholders of Carroll Electric Membership Cooperative (EMC) had keen ears at the annual Power Breakfast held Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023, to hear of the co op’s current state of affairs and endeavors that will impact them and their constituents going into the new year. Carroll EMC’s President and CEO, Tim Martin, touched on industry insights like grid reliability, clean energy and infrastructure security as well as more localized efforts relating to work order automation and broadband. But before diving into the big topics, Martin wanted to remind the room of the cooperative’s purpose in for mation and purpose in continuation. “I don’t do this often, and I don’t think it’s shared enough,” said Martin. “And that would be our mission statement. Our vision is to enhance the quality of life in the communities we serve. In 1936, that was bringing electricity to rural West Georgia. Now, we’re doing this with broadband. “We don’t want to be just an electric utility,” he added. “We want to really provide innova tive solutions for our members that are safe, reliable and affordable.” Shifting the focus to reliability, Martin high lighted the cooperative’s individual efforts to keep constant power flowing to members. Martin Since implementing distribution automation in 2015, which in short allows system operators to isolate outages and refeed power from a dif ferent direction while repairs are being made, the average outage time has been reduced by 77 minutes per meter. Employees have also worked to streamline and digitize the work order process to better organize data and keep members updated on their projects. “That’s something to really be proud of,” Martin said. “It’s taken us years to get here, but it benefits the members more than they know.” Not all aspects of reliability are in the coop erative’s direct control, though. A year ago, the electric grid faced record-high demand when temperatures dropped below freezing for a con secutive number of days. This resulted in load shed across the south, but fortunately, EMCs in Georgia were unaffected. However, concerns for grid capacity remain as the resource mix shifts to natural gas and renewables and ques tions arise if those resources can meet the increased energy demand. “The electric grid is changing,” said Martin. “Generation is changing from fossil fuel to renewable generation, which is great, but as we do that, it has to be done in a thoughtful man ner and can’t be done too fast. We have to make sure we have the capacity to meet all the needs for our members. “Exciting news is nuclear,” Martin contin ued. “Vogtle three is now online, and Vogtle “Exciting news is nuclear,” Martin continued. “Vogtle three is now online, and Vogtle four will be online the end of first quarter 2024. This will increase the amount of carbon- free energy we’re able to purchase and serves as a more sustainable source than some renewables.” four will be online the end of first quarter 2024. This will increase the amount of carbon-free energy we’re able to purchase and serves as a more sustainable source than some renewables.” In closing, Martin highlighted the coop erative’s solar and elec tric vehicle advance ments, including the installation of a solar flower at the Carrollton office and a public-fac ing charging station at the Chick-fil-A in Bremen. He ended on a high note by outlining the Derick T. Newton named Newton was one of 18 individuals chosen this from press release Derick T. Newton, who has served as an Edward Jones financial advisor in Carrollton the past 18 years, has been named a Principal (General Partner) with the firm’s holding company, The Jones Financial Companies, LLLP He was one of 18 individuals chosen this year from 52,000 associates across the United States and Canada to join the firm’s principals. Derick Newton and his family - Chell and Newton major milestones for fiber buildout. Crossbeam, the residential broadband company for SyncGlobal Telecom and the cooperative’s partner in building the fiber network, con nected its 1,500th customer in November. “It’s lifechanging,” said Martin. “If you talk to the members who now have access to broad band speed internet, they didn’t realize life could be so good. It allows them to do things from home that they weren’t able to do before, and that’s why we’re doing this. It’s all for our members.” Carroll EMC is a Member-owned coopera tive providing electricity to approximately 54,000 homes and businesses. The co-op serves Members in Carroll, Haralson, Heard, Paulding, Polk, Floyd and Troup counties. Edward Jones principal year from 52,000 associates Keziah - will remain in Carroll County, where Derick will continue to serve investors. In addition to serving local investors, he serves as an Edward Jones regional leader, promoting the health, growth and leadership development of 36 branch teams. Newton’s office is located at 937B Maple Street, Carrollton, Georgia,. 30117. He can be reached at 770-832-9515. Edward Jones is a financial services firm in the U.S. and through its affiliate in Canada. The firm’s more than 19,000 financial advisors serve more than 8 million clients with a total of $1.8 trillion in client assets under care at the end of September 2023. 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He has since opened 3 satellite offices in Hiram, Lovejoy, and now Carrollton. Dr. Venn prides himself in maintaining a high level of quality service to put a smile on Atlantans' & West Georgian's faces with a personal touch. Smile Studio Orthodontics • Carrollton Office * 1109 South Park, Suite 203 (next to Target) Carrollton, GA 30117 * 770-892-3833
