At 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time this very morning, Georgia State Representative E. Culver “Rusty” Kidd held a press conference with his cosponsors of the Rural Georgia Economic Recovery and Solar Resource Act of 2014 (aka House Bill 657 that Kidd introduced on Friday) at a press conference in the media room of the Georgia House of Representatives.
I would have loved to attend, but I’m in snowy Cleveland (spring, my left foot — 4 inches on top of my car this morning) instead of frigid Atlanta (no snow, but the high was predicted at 48 degrees).
(I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the co-sponsors of the bill: Reps. Tom Kirby, Terry Rodgers, Buzz Brockway, Gloria Frazier and Carol Fullerton are also supporting the solar industry in (usually) sunny Georgia by cosponsoring the bill.)
It’s a great bill for the solar industry (and the residents of Georgia to boot). You should read the entire bill yourself, but here are the highlights. The bill:
- Lowers electric bills for customers across the state;
- Opens the market for competition in the solar industry, under the supervision of the Georgia Public Service Commission;
- Leverages private-sector investment to finance solar projects (the sponsors emphasize that these are not state subsidies; and
- Provides a 100% voluntary solar program that would allow ratepayers to opt-in on their monthly bill.
The bipartisan support (Culver is an Independent, Kirby, Rodgers and Brockway are Republicans, and Frazier and Fullerton are Democrats) is further evidence of how much in the mainstream our industry is. The state of Georgia, which has shown some resistance in the past to the industry, is coming around.
MAGE Solar just announced the installation of solar panels on a Dublin, Ga., high school. Georgia Power has announced a solar initiative. And in November 2012, the Georgia Public Service Commission approved a solar roadmap for the state.
Georgia’s legislation follows on the heels of other great news for the industry. GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) released a report that said the U.S. solar market grew 76% in 2012, and SEMI released the fourth edition of the International Technology Roadmap for PV.
The report concluded that solar production costs will continue to fall, keeping solar prices at historic lows as innovations in technology, refinement of production (without sacrificing quality or reliability) and new materials. It also identified key areas of research-and-development, which will provide the nimblest companies in the industry to stay competitive.
For those who predicted a slow year for solar in 2013 (fortunately, I wasn’t one of them), it appears the industry is instead picking up steam — and that’s good news for all of us.
(As an aside, I would recommend you email or call the above listed representatives — even if you live out of state — and thank them for their hard work on behalf of the solar industry. You’d be surprised how much a little positive reinforcement will go to helping our cause in the long run.)
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