Focus on Georgia’s Energy Future: Climate Solutions That Go Beyond Carbon

Chapters

00:00 Welcome and Introducing the Panel 

02:40 Kevin Kelly: Understanding the IRP and Rate Case 

09:17 Special Issues in the 2022 Rate Case 

12:20 What’s Next: Fuel Costs and Vogtle Unit 4 

13:43 Jill Kysor: How Drawdown Solutions Fared in 2022 

17:51 The Fight Over Rooftop Solar and Net Metering 

20:31 Energy Efficiency, Rate Design, and Demand Response Wins 

26:21 Brionté McCorkle: Environmental Justice and the PSC 

33:13 A Lawsuit Over PSC Election Districts 

38:35 How to Make Your Voice Heard at the PSC 

40:16 Alicia Brown: The Georgia Coalition of Local Governments 

44:40 Energy Efficiency Barriers and Affordability 

51:39 Audience Q&A: Net Metering, the IRA, and What’s Next

Were you aware that the Georgia Power Integrated Resource Planning (IRP) process and the decisions the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) makes affect the pathway for scaling climate solutions?

This webinar is a follow-up to a 2021 conversation that previewed the 2022 Georgia Power IRP process. Now that the IRP cycle and the rate case that followed it are complete, host Blair Beasley of the Ray C. Anderson Foundation brings together four experts to unpack what was at stake, and what actually happened.

How Do the IRP and Rate Case Actually Work?

Kevin Kelly of Southface Institute breaks down how the IRP sets the 20-year plan for Georgia Power, how the rate case that follows determines how customers pay for it, and walks through the special issues, from net metering to EV infrastructure to data access, that defined the 2022 proceedings.

How Did Drawdown Georgia’s Solutions Fare in 2022?

Jill Kysor of the Southern Environmental Law Center walks through the results for large-scale solar, rooftop solar, energy efficiency, and demand response, including a new compensation rate for rooftop solar exports, a modest energy efficiency increase, and a technical but meaningful rate design win for Georgia families.

Environmental Justice and the Fight for a Fair Process

Brionté McCorkle of Georgia Conservation Voters shares her personal path into energy advocacy, details a successful voting rights lawsuit challenging the PSC’s election structure, and describes the Commission’s efforts to limit public participation during the 2022 rate case.

How Cities Joined Forces to Advocate for Their Residents

Alicia Brown of the City of Savannah explains how five Georgia local governments intervened together for the first time as the Georgia Coalition of Local Governments, pushing for expanded net metering, community solar, and energy efficiency programs that actually reach energy-burdened residents.

Your Questions, Answered

The panel closes with an audience Q&A covering the fate of existing net metering customers, how the Inflation Reduction Act factored into this year’s proceedings, the outcome of the Make Ready EV charging program, and the latest on the ongoing PSC election lawsuit.

What You’ll Learn

• How the Georgia Power IRP and rate case work together, and why they matter for climate solutions in Georgia.
• What happened to large-scale solar, rooftop solar, and battery storage in the 2022 IRP.
• Why the Public Service Commission declined to expand net metering, and what changed instead.
• How energy burden shapes who’s affected most by PSC decisions, and the legal fight over PSC election districts.
• How five Georgia cities and counties joined forces to advocate for their residents in the IRP process for the first time.
• Practical ways to get involved with the Public Service Commission going forward.

Continue reading in our companion blog for more on how the Georgia Power IRP shapes climate solutions in our state.

Download the Interview Transcript

Prefer to read the conversation instead? Download the complete transcript of this webinar to explore the panelists’ full presentations and audience Q&A.