ATHENS Storage battery advances, not just additional collection panels, will fuel Georgia’s solar power future, a panel of experts told members of the Georgia General Assembly on Tuesday.
A pair of Georgia Public Service (PSC) members along with Georgia Power’s Wilson Mallard, the utility’s director of renewable development, updated lawmakers on the state’s growth in solar power generation during the Biennial Institute for Georgia Legislators, a pre-legislative primer held at Athens’ The Classic Center.
The panelist highlighted Georgia’s rapid ascension as a solar power-generating state over the last decade. Solar was “virtually nonexistent” as an energy source in Georgia in 2012, Georgia Power’s Mallard said, with sun power coming only from panels installed on residential and commercial business rooftops. In 2020, solar is on pace to contribute 2,600 megawatts to the state’s energy grid.