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PAGE 6A PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS THURSDAY. JULY 15. 2021
From the Progress files
Turning Back
The Pages
Solar rooftop installers warn looming
cap threatens industry in Georgia
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A surge of interest has pushed the Ga. Power rooftop solar program to near its limit. Proponents say momentum in
solar will collapse unless the PSC takes action. Photo/Capitol Beat
By Dave Williams
Bureau Chief
Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA - Six years
ago, the General Assembly
passed legislation allowing
Georgia property owners to
use third-party financing to
install rooftop solar panels at
their homes and businesses.
Now, representatives of
solar installers and their envi
ronmentalist allies are warn
ing the momentum the
industry has built since 2015
could grind to a halt unless
the state Public Service Com
mission (PSC) orders Geor
gia Power to lift a cap on a
pilot rooftop solar program
limited to 5,000 customers.
The program is about to hit
that cap because of an unex
pected surge of interest.
“It’s a very popular pro
gram,” Don Moreland, policy
chairman for the Georgia
Solar Energy Association and
owner-operator of Solar
CrowdSource, told the PSC
during a recent hearing.
“[But] once we hit this cap
... it is going to cause the
rooftop market to completely
crash.”
The commission approved
the pilot program as part of
Georgia Power’s 2019 rate
case. It got off to a slow start,
with just 1,347 applications
last year.
But interest has taken off
this year. Just in May and
June, Georgia Power re
ceived as many applications
as in all of 2020 and three
times the number that came
in during 2019.
“The large volume of ap
plications have been, quite
frankly, surprising,” said
Steven Hewitson, a lawyer
representing the Atlanta-
based utility at the July 1
hearing. “That’s slowed
down the processing time.”
The pilot program is due
to be reevaluated next year
when Georgia Power brings
its next rate case before the
PSC. The utility wants to
keep the cap at 5,000 cus
tomers until then.
“The limitations specifi
cally were put in place so the
company and the commis
sion could evaluate the im
pact of... the program to the
system and other customers,”
Hewitson said. “There’s no
reason to revisit that limita
tion now.”
But Moreland said the
PSC isn’t expected to issue a
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ruling in the rate case until
late next year. Waiting 18
months for a decision on lift
ing the cap would create a
long period of uncertainty
that could “chill the [solar]
market,” he said.
“This is a popular policy
right now,” added Russell
Seifert, founder and CEO of
Creative Solar USA. “It’s
working.”
Seifert and others point to
neighboring states that are
more aggressively pursuing
rooftop solar than Georgia.
Florida leads the way with
more than 85,000 installa
tions, according to the U.S.
Energy Information Admin
istration.
More than 23,000
rooftops in South Carolina
sport solar panels, and more
than 21,000 solar installa
tions have taken place in
North Carolina.
A coalition of solar in
stallers recently sent a letter
asking Georgia Power to lift
the cap on its rooftop solar
pilot program.
“Rooftop solar means
local jobs. It puts money di
rectly into Georgia’s econ
omy,” Seifert said. “[Lifting
the cap] will allow the indus
try to continue its steady
growth, provide clear market
signals to promote additional
investment and allow the
pilot to continue until the
commission is able to fully
review it.”
Mark Woodall, legislative
chair for the Georgia chapter
of the Sierra Club, said Geor
gia Power has emphasized
large “utility-scale” solar
projects over rooftop solar
because the larger projects
are less expensive per kilo
watt-hour of power they pro
duce.
“Utility-scale is cheaper,
but we need all the solar we
can get,” he said.
Jill Kysor, a senior attor
ney with the Atlanta-based
Southern Environmental Law
Center, praised the PSC for
supporting utility-scale solar
investment. The latest exam
ple came July 7 when the
commission approved Geor
gia Power’s plan to buy 970
megawatts of solar power
from five other utilities.
“We have become a solar
leader on utility-scale solar
because of commission ac
tion,” Kysor said. “There’s an
opportunity to follow
through with rooftop solar
without any big risk.”
Even if the PSC doesn’t
lift the cap on rooftop solar
installations in Georgia, the
General Assembly may step
in. Legislation introduced in
the state Senate in March
would limit the fees utilities
can charge property owners
who install rooftop solar and
allow the commission to lift
any cap a utility places on the
number of solar installations
under certain circumstances.
Senate Bill 299 didn’t re
ceive a hearing because it
was introduced so late in this
year’s legislative session. But
it’s still alive in the Senate
Regulated Industries and
Utilities Committee with the
influential bipartisan backing
of Senate Rules Committee
Chairman Jeff Mullis, R-
Chickamauga, and Senate
Minority Leader Gloria But
ler, D-Decatur.
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YEARS
From June 18, 1996
Water tank to bear
“Woodbridge Inn”
Local restauranteur Joe Rueffert
agreed to pay $20,000 to the Jasper
City Council for the right to have the
Woodbridge Inn logo painted on the
water tank that rises above the north
end of downtown.
The council’s agreement gave exclusive rights to adver
tise on the tank for the next 10 years in exchange for the
money which will be used to help defray the costs of ren
ovating the tank along with a second Jasper water tank.
Councilman Rick Land said he had talked with many
downtown merchants and there had been no objections to
having the tanks, considered by many a landmark, bear the
name of the restaurant.
Land said, “In this case the Woodbridge is a special type
of business and I don’t see a problem.”
Acting chief takes over officially
Harold Cantrell assumed the reins as chief of the Jasper
Police Department last Wednesday after being officially ap
pointed to the position he has held in an acting role since
late January.
Cantrell, a 15-year veteran of the local police force, had
been serving as head of the department since former Police
Chief Bill Wigington took a leave of absence because of
illness earlier this year. Cantrell was named as Wigington’s
replacement at the regular July city council meeting.
The new chief said the main challenge facing the depart
ment is keeping up with growth in the city. The department
currently has nine officers on its force.
^ From July 15, 1971
/-S / I Weatherby honored
r y f / The Georgia Council of Farmer Co
operatives, Inc., Athens, Georgia, an
nounced at their May 27th meeting
that Paul Weatherby has been elected
to serve as a member of the board of
directors and vice president of the or
ganization. Mr. Weatherby is manager
of Amicalola Electric Membership Corporations, Jasper,
and also serves as vice president of the Georgia Rural Elec
tric Manager’s Associations, outgoing president of the
Jasper Lions Club and chairman of the Transportation
Committee of Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce.
From July 11, 1946
First cotton bloom
The first cotton bloom of the 1946
season to reach our office was sent in
Saturday by Mr. C.V. Bruce, of Hill
district. The second one was sent in
Monday by Mr. W.V. Fountain, of
Jerusalem.
State will have veteran service office at Jasper
A Veterans Service office is to be located at Jasper by the
State Department of Veterans Service and will serve Pick
ens County and parts of Gilmer, Gordon, Murray, Cherokee
and Dawson counties. The expense of this service is paid
for by the state of Georgia and its purpose is to aid the vet
erans and their dependents. It will be a great benefit and
convenience to the section. The office will open in a few
days temporarily in the offices of the Local Draft Board in
the Edge building. Mr. Olen Cagle has been appointed serv
ice officer and has been in Rome taking a 10 day training
course.
YEARS
YEARS
1,000 people attend service welcoming veterans home
About on thousand people attended the service welcom
ing Pickens County service men home, held in Jasper July
4th. A parade of veterans of both World Wars formed in
front of the Georgia Power Company office and marched
to the school house, where Prof. D.B. Carroll was master
of ceremonies. Rev. L.F. VanLandingham made a splendid
speech urging the men to continue to discharge their duties
as citizens in civil life. Rev. A.W. Bussey had charge of an
impressive memorial service during which a bouquet was
presented the family of each deceased service man.
A splendid basket lunch was served with plenty of food
left over. In the afternoon Jasper defeated Tate in two base
ball games. The first was very close, 5-4, but the second
was 14-0.