Solar supporters see rare loss on horizon for Georgia Power | www.myajc.com

If Georgia Power says it needs something, it usually gets it. Over the years, state regulators have cleared the way for the utility to land new power plants, more transmission lines and rate increases, often without much heated debate.

That could change Thursday, when the all-Republican Georgia Public Service Commission, an agency historically opposed to mandating renewable energy use, is likely to order the utility to amp up its solar electricity output, ignoring warnings from the company that it already generates more than enough power.

The increase in solar power that Commissioner Lauren “Bubba” McDonald is calling for isn’t eye-popping, but the ramifications could impact the power bills of millions of residents — whether it’s in savings or increases remains uncertain.

The push to add 525 megawatts is almost revolutionary for an agency whose commissioners once scoffed at the idea of Georgia getting electricity from renewable fuels. It also is significant because the powerful utility, with an army of attorneys and legions of lobbyists, has held remarkable sway over the commission for decades and is rarely forced to make such sweeping concessions.

Indeed, some observers say the solar debate is among the most heated issues before the commission in the past 30 years.

via Solar supporters see rare loss on horizon for Georgia Power | www.myajc.com.