Georgia Power Solar Research
Georgia Power and Southern Company will evaluate the performance of cutting-edge solar technologies in a demonstration project at Georgia Power's corporate office.
The research project will help the company determine which solar technologies perform best in the Southeast. The company may expand the project by 2011.
The company will install up to seven photovoltaic (PV) technologies on the roof of Georgia Power's 241 Ralph McGill building in Atlanta. Each test technology will be capable of producing five kilowatts.
The demonstration projects are targeted to be up and operating in the fall of 2008. An interactive kiosk will be set up in the 241 lobby to provide information and updated results, along with Web-based streaming of real-time performance data and cost analysis.
The project will collect data for a minimum of 12 months. Throughout the demonstration, the company will work with a third-party entity to help in the evaluation of the performance of each technology.
Southern Company and Georgia Power support cost-effective renewable energy projects that will meet the growing energy needs of customers while improving the environment in the communities we serve.
In general, PV technology works best in the clear and dry climates found in the western United States. The generally humid conditions in the Southeast create clouds and haze that decrease PV performance when compared to more favorable areas of the country. However, PV technologies are improving and the company is committed to monitoring these technologies as they improve.
Other Information About Solar Energy
Favorable areas for solar are in the arid Southwest (Arizona and Southern California).
In the Southeast, it would take almost twice as much solar capacity (and cost) as in the arid Southwest to produce the same amount of energy from solar.
Current cost estimates for large-scale solar in Georgia range from 35 to 40 cents per kilowatt-hour. Georgia Power residential customers currently pay about 9.4 cents per kilowatt-hour.
Georgia Power purchases power from customers who install solar capability on their homes or businesses at a premium solar rate of 17.74 cents per kilowatt-hour. This helps to promote the use of solar power in the state.
