Message from the Chair - Utilities Need to Embrace Roof Top Solar or Perish

Solar! Residential Solar! Rooftop Solar! Behind the meter solar! Solar and energy storage! These are all terms that utilities didn’t like to hear 25 to 30 years ago. Back then, it was not perceived as a potential threat to their industry. The technology was still in its infancy. Over the last 15 years though, these words have gained traction as more installations came online. Utility executives took note and wondered what to make of this evolving technology. Was it a passing fad, a status symbol for wealthy individuals?

They recognized its potential to reduce the ever-growing revenue stream on which their business model depends, making them uneasy. Plus, human nature resists new ideas and change. For almost a century, the utility industry never had to worry about perpetual growth in demand. Americans are hooked on electricity for every aspect of daily life: cell phones, laptops, air conditioning, entertainment media, etc. Energy (electricity in this context) has become like oxygen that we need to live.

But now, with efficiency on the rise, solar plus storage, and electric vehicles, the upward spiral of  demand for energy is leveling off. So, what should utilities do?

EMBRACE this energy boom!

Message from the Chair - Why don’t we have more rooftop solar in Georgia?

With 2019 dawning, speculation has risen about why the largest state East of the Mississippi has not supported its solar industry as proactively as some of its surrounding states.

In 2013, interest in solar surged in Georgia primarily because of support from the PSC and Georgia Power. That support provided amazing economic benefits for the state as the nation emerged from its most painful recession since the Great Depression. The investment and job creation provided by the growing solar industry brought long-needed relief to many hard-hit parts of the state, putting Georgia on the map as a viable solar market.

The lion’s share of credit for this economic boost goes to the elected members of the PSC. Those commissioners, led by the vision of Commissioner Lauren “Bubba” McDonald, crafted programs that have served our state well. Starting with the Advanced Solar Initiative (ASI) and evolving into the REDI program, solar initiatives such as these created a well-deserved enthusiasm for the benefits of solar and helped debunk many myths that previously hindered solar adoption.

Students in Grades 6 – 10, tell us what you think:
How can solar energy help my community?
The Georgia Solar Energy Association invites students in Grades 6 – 10 to enter the GA Solar Essay Contest.

This year’s topic: How can solar energy help my community?

Here is what you need to know to enter the contest: Essays must be 250 – 300 words

• One entry per student
• Submitted with a cover page with title of essay, name, school, teacher’s name
• printed on one side of 8.5 x 11 white paper
• double-spaced
• one inch margins
• 12 point font

Submit via e-mail to [email protected] and CC [email protected] - or via mail to 1199 Euclid Avenue, Atlanta GA 30307

Must be able to attend and read essay at the 2018 GA Solar Holiday Luncheon on December 13, 2018 at Mason Fine Arts Center with a parent/teacher/guardian.

Dec 13th Event Address:
Mason Fine Arts Center
415 Plasters Ave NE, #100
Atlanta, GA 30324
Time: 11:00- 2:00PM

Admittance is free for student and guest

Deadline for submission is DECEMBER 5TH, 2018 at noon.

The winner will be contacted on December 7, 2018 and will be invited/required to read his/her essay at the GA Solar Holiday Luncheon on December 13, 2018.

Winner will also receive a cash prize.

All essays become the property of GA Solar and cannot be returned. Essays will be judged using the rubric provided.

Contact Info:
Dana Redden
Education Chair GA Solar Energy Association

Message from the Chair - 10th Anniversary Southern Solar Summit!

Tariff-ed out? Let’s talk about the 10^th Anniversary Southern Solar Summit!

Yes, I agree. Concerns about the potential effect of tariffs on imported cells and panels seemed to dominate every solar conversation over the last year. We have all become a bit numb to talk of cost effects and a possible damper on growth.

So, now the time has come to talk about the future of Solar in Georgia. We have a lot going on. What better way to get a plethora of information in one day regarding key topics on the current and future of solar than a day with fellow solar professionals and advocates? Along with new trends in Georgia at our 10th Anniversary Southern Solar Summit on October 25th at the Carter Center, we will have discussions of national trends. This is our second Summit at the historic, solar-powered Carter Center.

GA Solar Elects a New Chair - Russell Seifert

These are exciting times in the solar industry. Ten years ago, in 2008, the cost of a solar panel installation was $8.82 per watt.

The solar industry today looks very different: in addition to solar panel efficiency increasing dramatically, solar panel producers have significantly improved their manufacturing processes. Solar installers, too, can deploy solar PV across the United States more efficiently now than they could 10 years ago.

The result: the price of solar has fallen by over 60 percent, to just $3.14/watt. This market has followed the pattern of Moore’s Law in the computer and semi-conductor industry.

Solar energy is creating more jobs than any other sector of the economy. Plus, energy storage is becoming more mainstream. Homeowners and business owners alike see the “Real Value” in a sustainable product that lasts longer than most other investments they make in their lifetime.

   Last year, GA Solar joined with other stakeholders in successful negotiations with Central Georgia EMC to alleviate punitive and discriminatory fees aimed exclusively at solar customers.  Since then, our members and their customers have encountered similar charges in other locations throughout the state.

   Growing numbers of homeowners and businesses are looking for cleaner, and more economical, energy resources. As they do, these practices are increasingly coming into question, even as they quietly discourage local economic development.

   In my own work helping communities organize cost-saving, bulk-buying Solarize programs, I have encountered difficulties in the cities of Covington and Oxford, GA, for example, where some residents would like to organize a Solarize Newton County initiative.

   The City of Oxford operates its own power utility, which charges solar customers an additional $11.15 per kilowatt of installed solar per month on their electric bill. This means a solar customer with a 5 kW solar array would pay an additional $55.75 every month on their power bill before they use a single watt of electricity. This discriminatory charge clearly presents a daunting barrier to any consideration of solar adoption by residents and businesses in Oxford.

The Georgia Public Service Commission: Why Your Vote Matters!

Two seats on the five-member Georgia Public Service Commission are on the ballot this year. So, what is the Georgia Public Service Commission or “PSC”?  The Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) is the governing body that regulates the rates and services of “public utilities” in the state, including telecommunications, electricity (meaning our Georgia Power bills) and natural gas.

Current PSC Commissioners include H. Doug Everett, Commissioner, District 1; Tim Echols, Vice Chairman and Commissioner, District 2, Chuck Eaton, Commissioner, District 3, Lauren “Bubba” McDonald, Jr., PSC Chairman and Commissioner, District 4 and Patricia Pridemore, Commissioner, District 5.

As a nonprofit, the Georgia Solar Energy Association (GA Solar) cannot recommend any specific candidate.  However, we urge Georgia residents to do your homework!  Your vote matters!

GA Solar sent out a questionnaire to all PSC candidates to help voters understand where the candidates stand on issues related to the PSC’s responsibilities. The following candidates responded to our questionnaire as of May 15:  Lindy Miller, candidate for District 3; Ryan Graham, candidate for District 3, and John Turpish, candidate for District 5.  The following candidates have not responded: Chuck Eaton, incumbent candidate for District 3; Patricia Pridemore, incumbent candidate for District 5; and Dawn Randolph, candidate for District 5.  You can read the unedited responses at this link:

 https://tinyurl.com/GASolarPSCQuestionnaire18

Georgia has some of the lowest utility rates in the nation.  However, that is about to change.  Electricity rates are set to resume a historic rate of increase over the next six years.

The Georgia Public Service Commission: Why Your Vote Matters!

(Click for PSC Candidate Responses Below)

Two seats on the five-member Georgia Public Service Commission are on the ballot this year. So, what is the Public Service Commission or “PSC”?  The Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) is the governing body that regulates the rates and services of “public utilities” in the state, including telecommunications, electricity (meaning our Georgia Power bills) and natural gas.

Current PSC Commissioners include H. Doug Everett, Commissioner, District 1; Tim Echols, Vice Chairman and Commissioner, District 2, Chuck Eaton, Commissioner, District 3, Lauren “Bubba” McDonald, Jr., PSC Chairman and Commissioner, District 4 and Patricia Pridemore, Commissioner, District 5.

In spite of President Trump’s 30% tariff, now is still the best time to go solar!  The cost of solar has come down 70% since 2010 and there is a 30% tax credit available to help reduce the upfront cost.

That’s right, now is the time. Policy and market forces are at play that make 2018 and 2019 the sweet spot to get the most bang for your buck. There are three main drivers that affect the cost of solar and the value of a solar investment that everyone should know:

Driver # 1: Tax Credit Phasing Out

Since 2006, homeowners and business owners are eligible for a 30% tax credit to help reduce the upfront cost of solar. This tax credit applies to the entire cost of the system including components (panels, inverters, racking/mounting structure), permitting, labor, etc. The tax credit also applies to energy storage systems when purchased and installed at the same time when purchasing and installing the solar system. Set to expire in 2015, Congress extended the tax credit through 2021 but it starts to phase after 2019

As you can see in the chart above, the tax credit will phase out entirely for homeowners in 2023 and level out to 10% for businesses.  So, if you are considering going solar anytime in the next few years, and you want to maximize the use of the tax credit to reduce the upfront cost and your tax liability, you will want to purchase and install sometime before the end of 2019 to get the full 30% tax credit.

Reflections on a Challenging Year and Wishes for the New Year

Looking back on 2017, the solar industry has confronted a challenging year from the local to the national level.

We are waiting to see if President Donald Trump will impose the International Trade Commission’s recommendations for tariffs on imported panels and modules. Currently, the President has until January 26 to make his decision. While the recommendations are less punitive than Suniva sought in its petition to the ITC, the effect of these tariffs would still be a serious blow to the jobs and investment the solar industry has created in the U.S.  Tariffs also would inhibit the investments that bring needed revenues to many economically underserved Georgia communities and the control solar offers many Georgia consumers for their energy consumption.

The Georgia Solar Energy Association has been actively engaged in the effort to persuade the ITC and our state’s elected officials that these tariffs will cut good jobs from our growing solar industry. In May, GA Solar gathered more than 150 signatures on a letter outlining the damage solar tariffs would do and delivered it to members of Georgia’s congressional delegation in Washington.  Throughout the year, we have provided regular updates on the progress of the case through email and in our social media. Here is a link to the Solar Energy Industries Association website that offers ways you can be involved in opposition to the tariffs:

Come Together to Stay Strong

The solar industry is facing its greatest threat to date. So, the time couldn’t be more perfect to gather and recommit to what protects our vitality in the market.

Unquestionably, the recent ruling from the International Trade Commission that imported solar modules have caused injury to domestic manufacturers could end up imposing a painful new burden on our thriving market. A forty-cent increase in the cost of modules, for example, would erase the gains made in recent years by increasing the cost of utility-scale solar by about 25%, C&I market 20%, and residential market 15%.

But no tariffs are in place yet, and time remains to mitigate the harm that this misguided action could have on our state, cities, industry, and thousands of working family jobs and welfare. In short, we can hope for the best but we should prepare for the worst.  

Statement from the Georgia Solar Energy Association Chair Don Moreland on the International Trade Commission’s ruling in the Suniva Trade Case:

   “The thriving solar industry is sure to suffer the loss of as many as 2,000 good, local jobs in Georgia and more than 88,000 nationwide if tariffs are imposed on imported panels as a result of this decision. This will be far more damaging to a growing economic sector of the state’s economy than the jobs lost in Suniva’s bankruptcy. At a time when citizens, elected officials and utilities in Georgia demand more clean energy solutions, this decision will potentially disrupt established supply chains and erase years of progress that has made solar power the cost-effective clean energy solution it is today. We at GA Solar will continue to fight against tariffs this decision may bring. We hope that state leaders, including Sen. Johnny Isakson, Sen. David Perdue and our Georgia congressmen, will join us in urging President Donald Trump not to adopt tariffs that will throttle a growing domestic industry and the jobs it has created.

   “We are grateful to the solar professionals from our state - James Marlow, Russell Seifert, Kenny Hughes, Pete Marte and John Huffington - who traveled to Washington to convey all the relevant facts of the impact of tariffs on the U.S. solar industry to our state’s congressional delegation. We are especially grateful to Georgia PSC Commissioner Lauren “Bubba” McDonald, who provided important testimony to the ITC in this case about the damage tariffs will inflict on the solar industry.”

  For more information and contact information, visit www.gasolar.org.

Message from the Chair - 8/21/2017

A Period of Uncertainty

   Back in November, solar professionals realized we were in for a period of uncertainty. What we didn’t expect was that the greatest threat would rise from within our own industry.

   On August 15, the International Trade Commission (ITC) heard testimony on a petition filed by bankrupt Georgia panel manufacturer Suniva asking the commission to recommend the imposition of steep tariffs on all panels imported to the U.S. The tariffs would roughly double the cost of panels to the U.S. solar industry.

   The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) has been joined in opposition to this request for tariffs by a wide range of political and financial interests. All of these pro-solar allies, including the conservative Heritage Foundation, want to protect the more than 250,000 solar jobs and billions of dollars in solar investment that are threatened by this petition.

GA Solar is dedicated to promoting the economic and environmental benefits of solar energy through education, advocacy and industry support. So, when a trade case, even when initiated by one of our own, threatens to jeopardize the economic viability of the Georgia solar industry and the 4,000+ men and women it supports, we are compelled to act and act decisively. That’s exactly what we are doing now to prevent the potentially devastating effect of trade sanctions on imported solar equipment.

The response has been nothing short of amazing! With a unified voice, GA Solar came together with GaSEIA, SEIA, and a delegation of local industry professionals to send a message, loud and clear, to our elected officials that Georgia’s solar industry is thriving and is much, much more than a single panel manufacturer. More than 150 members of GA Solar joined this effort by signing an open letter to Sen. David Perdue and Sen. Johnny Isakson. GA Solar Co-Vice Chair Russell Seifert travelled to Washington with a delegation of solar professionals from Georgia to deliver the letter personally.

You have made your voice heard and shown your support for the Georgia solar industry. Thank you to everyone who took part in this effort! We will continue to fight the good fight and will count on your support along the way.

GA Solar Open Letter to Senators Isakson and Perdue
Suniva / Solarworld 201 Case

NEW SOLAR BILL AIMS TO REMOVE BARRIERS TO WIDER SOLAR ADOPTION

With Georgia’s solar market ranked 4^th in the U.S. and job growth up 23% in 2016, solar is on the move in Georgia. Now a new solar bill (HB 431) aims to remove barriers to rooftop solar, protect consumers, and unlock the free-market potential of solar promising continued growth for years to come.

GaSEIA is pleased Representative Buzz Brockway introduced HB 431, which ensures customers’ right to manage their electric bills with onsite solar and ensure that solar customers are not subject to extreme and unjustifiable costs.

HB 431 will improve the outlook for distributed generation (rooftop) solar, create thousands of jobs, protect consumers, promote economic development, and increase Georgia's energy security.

HB 431 makes commercial system size limits more reasonable in light of economic and technological changes since the Co- Gen Act was passed in 2001.
 
Importantly, the legislation does not preclude utility fees but provides that customers have notice before fees are imposed and that such fees are not just and reasonable.  This is important because customers need more transparency to make informed decisions about whether or not to install solar.
 
This legislation follows a special subcommittee hearing and report of the House Energy Committee in the fall of 2016.

Click Here to View the HB 431 Legislation