Oct 8 2010
Georgia Power, an auxiliary of Southern Company and a privately owned utility, declared that its new tariff structure has received the consent of Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC). The approved tariff will enable the company to double its solar power buying from private vendors to contribute to its Green Energy Program.
The new approved tariff will permit the company to buy an additional 1.5 MW of solar power from the lower-end power producers with less than 100 kW production capabilities at the rate of 17 cents for every kWh of power. Georgia Power has made it obligatory for such power producers to share all the investment and operational details with the company for the purpose of achieving the required experience in solar power generation. The company has formulated a scheme to use the acquired solar power for use in its designed Premium Green Energy (PGE) product. PGE is offered to the clients in 100 kWh blocks with 50% of solar power for $5 per block or biomass green energy for $3.50 per block. The Green Energy program started by the company in October 2006 has around 4,200 clients who have agreed to buy about 3.8 million kWh of green energy that can power around 3,800 homes that use 1,000 kWh every month. The company is expected to persist with its existing Renewable-Non Renewable Resources (RNR) tariff to its clients who prefer to utilize solar power to compensate their power bill or who look forward to vend the power to Georgia Power at a solar annulled price. The new approved tariff will take effect from 1st January 2011.
Angela Strickland, Energy Efficiency Director of the company said, that the 50% solar option provided by the company allowed it add around 1,000 slabs of the Premium Green Energy Product. She unveiled the plans of the company to augment its 5.4 MW by utilizing the solar program in order to meet the current and future requirements of its clients.
Source: http://www.georgiapower.com/