On Sept. 8, the Biden administration announced plans for almost half of the United States’ power to be generated “from the sun” by 2050. This statement has left many people wondering about the implications for the future of green energy.
Contrary to what many would expect, the solar industry here in Georgia has been undergoing massive growth in recent years. Despite the fact that there are no solar power mandates in Georgia, meaning that the state government doesn’t require power companies to have solar options, the industry is booming.
In fact, Georgia ranks ninth in the nation in solar power “installed capacity” despite the fact that there was virtually no solar power in the state a decade ago. The fact that this is happening, despite how politically divided Georgia is, shows that the industry might be much less divisive than once assumed. Athens has also been involved in this new energy frontier.
Georgia’s legislators have also been taking on a leading role in the development of solar power in Congress. In June, Sen. Jon Ossoff introduced the Solar Energy Manufacturing for America Act, which is meant to “rapidly boost American solar manufacturing, accelerate the transition to clean energy and support American energy independence.”
The Solar Energy Manufacturing for America Act would “provide tax credits for American manufacturers at every stage of the solar manufacturing supply chain, from production of polysilicon to solar cells to fully assembled solar modules.”
Ossoff has been focused on making Georgia and the U.S. leaders in clean energy production and technology. It’s great to see a politician actually attempt to do something with regards to climate change, especially one that the citizens of Georgia elected.
This marks a recent shift in attitude regarding solar power and alternate forms of power production, and hopefully other states catch on to the wave of alternative energy that has caught hold in Georgia.
The city of Athens itself has also been involved in the solar power expeditions of Georgia.
With programs like Solarize Athens, a community-based solar panel bulk-purchasing program run by SOLAR CrowdSource, Athens residents can collectively participate to make the cost of solar-generated power in the area go down.
Solarize works almost like a Costco card, where buying in bulk reduces the price of solar installation and panels.
SOLAR CrowdSource has done two Solarize Athens programs, most recently in 2019. There are sure to be many more programs of a similar vein in the near future, and having simple and easy initiatives …….
