KERMIT “BO” DOROUGH: MEAG funds should be used to construct solar farm | Opinion

Articles in recent editions of The Albany Herald reveal much about the poor leadership in this community. One story reported on the Dougherty County Commission considering a request to rezone property from agricultural to allow a company to construct a 120-megawatt solar farm. The following day we learned that the Albany City Commission voted to spend $6.5 million on streetlights and $20.8 million “for the gradual implementation of advanced utility metering infrastructure.”

Many citizens are convinced the City Commission’s decision to assume management and operation of Albany Water Gas & Light was an exercise of poor judgment. The commission laid claim to the $77 million in MEAG money rather than issue rebates to the customers who had paid the assessments or dedicate the funds to the needs of the city’s utility. One would think the City Commission would have earmarked these funds for improvements such as those that are now costing in excess of $28 million – an investment that will almost certainly be recouped in the utility bills sent out to WG&L’s customers each month.

The fact that a company is presently considering an investment of several hundred million dollars confirms southwest Georgia is an excellent region for production of solar power, yet, apparently, not one of the commissioners, at any time, even considered utilizing a portion of the MEAG funds to construct a solar farm.

I had qualms about the city’s decision to retain WG&L’s portion of the money that had accumulated during the years MEAG maintained the competitive trust. First, these funds had been paid by consumers to protect MEAG, not themselves, against a contingency – deregulation of electrical supply – which never occurred. Thus, ratepayers clearly had a legitimate claim to the sums they had paid into that account.

Second, the sums paid by consumers were, in many cases, drastically different. Someone who owned both a home and a business in WG&L’s service area for the entire period the trust was in operation obviously paid much more into the fund than someone who had service with WG&L for a year or two. Third, the city eventually spent much of the money in areas of the city that are not serviced by WG&L. The residents of these neighborhoods did not make any payments into the trust.

While many of your readers may not appreciate the many advantages of renewable energy, there are several compelling reasons a large portion of the money from MEAG should have been invested in a solar farm. First, and most importantly, the addition of a solar component would have eventually reduced utility costs. The cost of installation, for a 40-acre solar farm, would have been less than $20 million. The primary expense after installation of the panels is maintenance and distribution. It would have been relatively inexpensive to transmit electricity from Lily Pond Road to power stations in the city.

The solar farm would have produced a significant portion of the utility demand of WG&L’s service area, at minimal costs. This would have resulted in some savings to the utility’s customers. Second, Albany purchases all of the electricity distributed to customers of WG&L. The cost of this electricity fluctuates, sometimes drastically, due to economic and political factors over which MEAG has no control. WG&L would have had the ability to mitigate rate increases, in times of heightened demand and/or energy shortages, due to savings realized from the production of solar power.

Third, there would be some job creation, as the solar farm would be maintained and operated by trained staff. Fourth, any excess production could be stored for future use. Fifth, the highest production season, the summer, would coincide with the greatest demand for electricity. Sixth, renewable energy is environmentally beneficial, as it significantly reduces carbon emissions.

The City Commission should provide the community with a detailed accounting of how the MEAG money has been expended. Any available funds should be designated to construction of a solar farm – a project that should have been considered, approved and completed shortly after the first allocation of funds in 2009.

Attorney Kermit “Bo” Dorough practices law in Albany. He previously served on the Albany City Commission.