We start our cars and barely think about the complex systems under the hood. The same with flipping on a light switch. We just take for granted that the electricity will work. I spent a good part of my professional career “under the hood” of Georgia’s energy network as a commissioner and chair of the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC). We enjoy reliable and affordable electric service here in Georgia thanks to careful planning and market-based management of a diversified energy system.
Energy sustains our economy and way of life. If you doubt, ask folks along the swath of calamity brought by Hurricane Idalia in South Georgia last August. In moments, modern civilization became 3rd world. Sanitation systems, traffic signals, hospitals, and light switches all failed to function. And then a modern miracle occurred as utilities across Georgia and the region rallied resources to restore the comforts and conveniences of modern life in record time.
But maintaining our energy system is not just about restoring power. It’s also about managing our present grid and planning for the future. As with a diversified financial planning, Georgia’s energy portfolio contains a mix of resources. A century ago, our electric grid relied heavily on hydro power from North Georgia lakes. As droughts ensued and our population grew, coal-fired steam plants ensured reliability for the next several decades. In the 1970s, the state diversified by adding nuclear power to our mix. Beginning in the ‘80s and ‘90s, air quality concerns led to clean-burning natural gas replacing coal in many combustion plants. Then in the 2000s, concerns over carbon emissions and climate change, combined with the need to ensure long-term reliability and affordability, once again elevated nuclear power. The decision by electric utilities and the PSC to add more nuclear energy has already proven to be a wise one as oil and gas prices have increased along with tensions in Europe and the Middle…
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