MAGE SOLAR forging ahead in south Georgia

Valdosta and Lowndes County are not the only places with sunshine in south Georgia, and Albany and Dougherty County are perhaps already more organized.

Danny Carter wrote in the Albany Herald 14 May 2011, Solar power meeting set: A solar power conference is scheduled for Tuesday in Albany.

MAGE SOLAR, looking for both customers and installers, is hosting a program at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Albany Civic Center.

Susanne Fischer Quinn, communications manager for MAGE SOLAR, said there are just 13 certified installers of solar panels in Georgia.

The opportunity for growth in this area is tremendous, she said. Tuesday’s program will open with remarks by Jeff Sinyard, chairman of the Dougherty County Commission, and Albany City Commissioner Roger Marietta

Then, a panel of representatives from MAGE, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the University of Georgia will present information about solar power in Georgia.

We already did a smaller version of this, but what have we done since?

This is somewhat like the event Jerome Tucker organized with MAGE SOLAR at Lowndes High but more so, since I don't recall Ashley Paulk or Mayor Fretti speaking at LHS.

Georgia is considered one of the best states for solar power because of its abundant sunshine.

Then, a 30-minute question-and-answer session is planned with panelists answering questions about both the educational and business components of solar power.

The evening will close with a “mix and mingle” where those interested in having solar power in their homes or businesses or those interested in becoming certified installers can gain additional information.

That also happened at LHS (video to come). It's also the kind of thing I think our local Chamber of Commerce may be organizing ongoing through its Renewable Energy Network.

Meanwhile, the Albany event already happened yesterday, as Terry Lewis wrote for the Albany Herald today, Solar power touted: The president of Mage Solar USA urges consumers to become generators of power. Go Joe Thomas! Yes, consumers can become generators of electricity. Then they're not just consumers anymore, are they? They're participants:

Joe Thomas, president of Mage Solar USA, one of the country’s top manufacturers and distributors of renewable energy products, urged a packed house at the Albany Civic Center Tuesday that now is the time to catch up with Europe and begin moving toward solar power.

"Now is the time to begin thinking about getting off the grid and becoming generators of power rather than just consumers," Thomas said during a solar power discussion group at the arena. "Yes, the upfront costs are steep, and it takes an average of around 10 years to see the return on your investment. But after that, it’s free energy."

A packed house. At the arena. In Albany. What are we doing in Valdosta and Lowndes County?

-jsq