http://atlanta.bizjournals.com/atlanta/real_talk/2010/08/georgias_economy_still_losing_out_with_current_state_renewable_energy_policy.htmlIn an economy with record unemployment, Georgia has turned down billions of dollars in federal grants intended to stimulate investment in renewable energy in the past 12 months. Georgia continues to lag behind other states (and the world) when it comes to renewable energy.
<snip>
Yet Georgia’s economy cannot afford to lose out on large commercial and utility scale solar and biomass projects, which continue to select other southeastern states for their base of operations. Why? It’s because Georgia state law does not support the renewable energy electrical sales industry and instead supports fossil and nuclear fuels. Georgia only dabbles in biomass and landfill gas to serve the purposes of corporate marketing. Hyrdo power is maxed out.
So, as long as Georgia state law continues to make the sale of renewable energy illegal between non-utilities, and as long as we allow the Georgia Territorial Electrical Services Act to be interpreted as making the sale of renewable electricity illegal in Georgia, then we and Georgia are losers.
To date, and largely because such sales of electricity are alleged to be illegal, of the over five billion dollars in federal renewable energy grants made by the U.S. Treasury, only a paltry $600,000+ has found its way to Georgia.
<more>