PSC’s Clean Energy Roadshow visits Albany

ALBANY — Public Service Commissioner Tim Echols continued his sixth annual Clean Energy and Alternative Fueled Vehicles Roadshow at the Albany Civic Center Tuesday, accompanied by experts in fueling vehicles and farm equipment with natural gas, propane, electric power and solar energy.

“Alternative-fueled vehicles are not new technology,” Echols said. “This is why we are taking the Clean Energy Roadshow around the state. Because of all the options available, we want citizens and local governments from various regions to take a look at alternative fuels and decide what’s best for them … because it’s coming.”

Albany City Manager Sharon Subadan said the conversion to alternative energy sources would benefit the community and the environment.

“Currently, much of our electricity comes from clean energy sources, and we are doing all we can to reduce our carbon footprint,” Subadan said.

The city has just finished installing a CNG (compressed natural gas) fueling station on Flint Avenue, which will come into operation once the city receives five new CNG mini-buses.

Business and industry are also moving in the direction of alternative power sources.

Around the county, Procter & Gamble is nearing completion of a $200 million, 50-megawatt biomass power plant, which will be fueled by wood waste.

The Marine base in Albany “is working hard on renewable energy,” Master Sgt. Jody Harvey said. “We already have two CNG fueling stations on base.”

In April, Marine Corps Logistics Base-Albany broke ground for a 44-megawatt solar facility. The solar panels will be built on about 150 acres, which are scheduled to be completed in early 2017. Georgia Power will build, own, operate and maintain the facility.

While the new P&G biomass plant and MCLB-Albany’s solar farm are intended to provide power to industry, Georgia Power is slowly bringing electric vehicle (EV) charging stations south.

“We see the tipping point in the next couple of years as a result of higher battery capacity and an increase in mileage,” said Georgia Power’s Brad Norman. “We are in the process of installing 35 more charging stations in different areas of the state. The EV market is growing, and it’s growing fast.”

Echols, who drives an electric vehicle, knows all too well about battery capacity and range.

“When I drove down here, I stopped in LaGrange to recharge,” said Echols, who lives in Bogart. “When I go back home, I’ll also recharge in LaGrange.”

Echols added he could probably make the drive to Southwest Georgia on one charge, but he said he didn’t know if Albany had a charging station that would allow him to get back home.

If he has his way, that will not be a problem much longer.