Georgia EMCs Look for Wind Resources to Augment Green Power Generation
For Immediate Release Atlanta, Ga. (July 20, 2005) — Green Power EMC, a joint effort to generate energy from renewable resources by Jackson EMC and 16 other Georgia electric cooperatives, has launched a test to evaluate the potential of wind generation in Georgia.
The test site is located atop Oglethorpe Power Corporation's Rocky Mountain Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Plant in Floyd County, Ga. A stand-alone wind assessment tower has been installed by Renewable Generation, Inc., at the edge of the pumped storage facility to collect various wind-related data over a 12-month period. The 60-meter-tall wind assessment tower contains anemometers, a thermometer and other recording equipment that will be used to create profiles of wind speeds and directions.
"A number of other states have initiated wind power generation, including a number of Midwest states and Tennessee," said Green Power EMC President Michael Whiteside. "While we may not have a significant potential for wind power resource development within our state, we feel if there is an economic resource it may be at Rocky Mountain or another north Georgia location. This study will tell us if this area has enough potential to justify the installation of small-scale wind generation."
Green Power EMC has been successfully generating electricity from renewable resources such as landfill gas for nearly two years. At the same time, Green Power has been seeking other renewable resources to add to its generating capacity, and recently added a low impact hydroelectric generating plant at Tallassee Shoals in Athens.
- The 60-foot tall wind assessment tower installed at the Rocky Mountain Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Plant in Floyd County will collect data for 12 months to evaluate North Georgia's potential for wind generation of electricity.
"A portion of the price paid by Green Power subscribers goes toward research and development. By subscribing, Green Power customers not only purchase some of their current power needs from renewable resources, they also contribute to exploring new Georgia renewable resources and technologies," Whiteside noted.
About Green Power EMC
Green Power EMC has generated more than 50 million kilowatt hours of electricity from landfill gas, Georgia's most abundant and economical renewable resource, at two sites that began operating in October 2003.
"That is enough electricity to supply more than 4,000 homes for an entire year from a renewable resource," said Whiteside.
The Roberts Road landfill facility in Fayette County generates one megawatt of power to the statewide electric grid, along with four megawatts of electricity generated at the Taylor County landfill, the site of Georgia's first renewable energy facility.
Customers signing up for Green Power pay an additional charge each month ranging from $3 to $5 per 150 kilowatt-hour block, depending upon the participating EMC.
In addition to Jackson EMC, participants in Green Power EMC include Carroll EMC of Carrollton, Cobb EMC of Marietta, Coweta-Fayette EMC of Newnan, Diverse Power of LaGrange, Habersham EMC of Clarkesville, Irwin EMC of Ocilla, Lamar EMC of Barnesville, Ocmulgee EMC of Eastman, Sawnee EMC of Cumming, Snapping Shoals EMC of Covington, Tri-County EMC of Gray, Walton EMC of Monroe, Coastal Electric Cooperative of Midway, Jefferson Energy Cooperative of Wrens, GreyStone Power Corporation of Douglasville, and Flint Energies of Reynolds. All are electric cooperatives owned by the members they serve.
For more information on Green Power EMC, visit www.greenpoweremc.com.
About Renewable Generation, Inc.
Renewable Generation, Inc. (RGI) is a full-service developer of renewable power generation projects, with an exclusive focus on wind generation facilities. Based in Austin, Texas, RGI has managed the construction of more than 155 megawatts of wind generation in electricity markets around the country. Collectively, the company's principals have more than three decades of energy project development experience, 15 of which is in wind project development.
For more information on RGI, visit www.renewablegeneration.com.
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