Green power receives cool reception in Georgia

MACON, GEORGIA - Green power has not been as popular with Georgia's electricity customers as expected, even in the face of rising coal and gas prices.

But that could change with the help of recent financial incentives passed by the U.S. Congress, green power advocates say.

Georgia's foray into green power started in 2003 when several companies received approval from the Georgia Public Service Commission to charge a premium for electricity produced with less pollution.

But the amount of green power being offered and public participation have both been less than were heralded.

Although most of Georgia's green power comes from turning landfill methane into electricity, other types of green power might be more popular. Georgia Power and Green Power EMC are researching the possibility of wind power.

Methane, released when garbage biodegrades, is the cheapest green power available today. Nationally there are about 380 landfill methane reuse projects, with 30 to 35 more started each year, said Chris Voell, manager of the Environmental Protection Agency's landfill methane outreach program.

"We expect to see a little bit of a bump at least this year and probably for the next three or four years due to the recent energy legislation," he said. The law includes tax credits for private companies and payments for local governments that start methane reuse projects by 2008.

About two-thirds of landfill methane projects produce electricity, Voell said. The rest use methane for purposes like firing the kilns at Macon's Cherokee Brick & Tile Co.

"We've done searches for 24 major U.S. corporations in the last year and a half," Voell said. "We're able to get the fuel to these facilities at a significantly lower cost than natural gas.... It saves money for a corporation and keeps jobs alive."

Green Power EMC, a cooperative of Georgia electric companies, was first to offer Georgians green power. It now buys electricity produced by two landfills and a small hydropower project.

So far, only residential customers seem to be participating, said Dan Hart, vice president of power supply for Green Power EMC. They pay $3 to $5 extra on their electric bill, which subsidizes the cost of green power and pays for development of new green power projects.

Customer participation has not been as high as anticipated, Hart said.

Flint Energies, a member of Green Power EMC, has seen hardly any interest in green power, said President Bob Ray.

Hill Bentley, CEO of member Tri-County EMC, said the Gray-based company has had some sign-ups.

"We had more express interest until they learned the price and then it was: 'OK, now you're getting into my pocketbook,' " he said. Tri-County will consider lowering its $4 green power premium as conventional power gets more expensive, he said.

Hart said, "I wonder if consumers have a hard time identifying renewable energy with landfill projects as opposed to wind or solar." Green Power EMC is studying wind potential in north Georgia.

Georgia Power is paying Georgia Tech $580,000 to study wind data gathered on old Navy platforms 40 miles off Savannah, said spokeswoman Tiffany Gilstrap.

There are 17 offshore wind farms in Europe, but none in the United States, said Susan Stewart, a Georgia Tech research engineer.

Large wind farms have as many as 100 turbines, which look like 90- yard-long propellers on a stick. Their rotation powers a generator, creating an electric current which is cabled to shore, she said.

Georgia Tech researchers have six years of research gathered on the offshore platforms, which are 46 yards above the water, the average height of a turbine hub.

"There isn't really data like this anywhere else in the country this far offshore and this high above the water," Stewart said.

Because Georgia's offshore waters are shallower for longer distances than elsewhere on the East Coast, it might have the most options for wind farms, she said.