Denmark beats Georgia Power's 20 year plan

As anticipated, Georgia Power released that 20-year energy plan Thursday, because they have file one every three years with the PSC. It includes far less solar power than tiny little far-north-of-here Denmark is busily deploying.

The good news: Georgia Power is closing a bunch of coal plants. And this plan makes a nod towards "demand response programs, energy efficiency programs, pricing tariffs and other activities".

The bad news: they're replacing those coal plants with natural gas, and of course "two new state-of-the-art nuclear facilities at Plant Vogtle"; you know, the two Georgia Power has been charging customers for since 2009 while they deliver no electricity. Georgia Power can't even seem to deliver the reactor containment vessels.

But what about renewable energy?

Georgia Power names that dead last, just like its parent Southern Company. So if anybody was betting against that, unfortunately Georgia loses.

As part of the IRP, the company continues to demonstrate its firm commitment to identify all cost-effective renewable resources to benefit customers, with 1,088 MW of hydro generation, 63 MW of solar generation and 142 MW of biomass generation in service or under contract today. By the end of 2016, the company expects to have more than 1,500 MW of renewable generation available to serve customers.

Let's see, 1500 - 1088 = 412 MW. Of that:

After all resources are added through the GPASI, the company expects to have 270 MW of solar capacity under contract in Georgia.

The PR doesn't mention wind power at all.

Meanwhile Denmark is installing 36 MW of solar power a month, so in the four years to the end of 2016, at that rate Denmark will have installed 4 * 12 * 36 = 1,728 MW of new solar energy, or more than 6 times Georgia Power's goal for renewable energy. Oh, and Denmark already has 200 MW of solar installed, ahead of schedule. So that would be around 1,928 MW of solar power in Denmark by the end of 2016, compared to Georgia Power's goal of 270 MW. So Denmark wins this projection comparison by more than 7 times.

	Georgia	Denmark	percent DK of GA
Population	9,919,945 (2012 est)	5,336,394 (2000)	54%
Land Area (sq mi)	59,425	16,640	28%
Insolation (kWh/m2/day)	2.51 min 6.15 max (Valdosta)	0.39 min 5.43 max (Copenhagen)	16% min 88% max

Tiny little Denmark, with barely more than a quarter of the land area and half the population of Georgia and much less sunshine, is beating Georgia Power hands-down in installing solar power.

The better news:

"The PSC is expected to vote on the company's IRP request this summer."

It's just a plan and the PSC has to approve it. What say we ask the PSC to modify it quite a bit?

-jsq

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