Georgia is one of many states in the U.S. working towards investing in clean energy infrastructure, spurring almost $23.1 billion in clean energy investments across the state, the second-highest in the nation. The state’s clean energy projects have grown in four areas: solar, batteries, electric vehicles, and other clean energy technology.
As a result of this wave of investments, cities across the state have had great success improving their energy portfolios. Augusta, Georgia’s second-largest city, had $350 million invested by the U.S. Department of Energy in their Solvay Specialty Polymers Battery Factory that produces EV batteries, resulting in 500 local construction jobs and 100 manufacturing jobs. The Augusta facility will become one of the largest production sites of PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride) in the country.
In Savannah, the state’s fifth-largest city, the new Hyundai and LG Battery Plants have a net investment of approximately $4 billion, along with bringing in 3,000 jobs to the region. Athens, the state’s sixth-largest city, has committed to meeting all governmental energy needs with clean and renewable energy by 2030. Despite these great strides towards clean energy in cities across the state, the challenge remains with getting rural communities on board.
Dr. Marilyn Brown, co-founder of the Southern Energy Efficiency Alliance and policy professor of Sustainable Systems at Georgia Tech, emphasized that the first step to address this challenge is investing in necessary infrastructure: “We need to get the infrastructure required for clean technology into rural counties. Some of this is more simple, like [installing] wifi systems, [since some] rural disadvantaged populations don’t have access. [For example], if communities need access to recharging stations, the first step is [an] infrastructure to be built out better in rural Georgia to enable the cleantech economy.”
Electric Membership Corporations
Currently, Georgia’s rural areas are serviced by locally owned and governed rural electric cooperatives and municipal utilities. The Georgia Public Service Commission does not regulate locally owned and governed utilities, called Electric Membership Corporations (EMCs). This means a large majority of energy efficiency programs organized by the state’s investor-owned utility, Georgia Power, do not reach smaller and rural communities. Thus, local action is required to create energy efficiency programs offering clean energy alternatives to community members.
Steve Allen, Georgia Power’s former Manager of State Legislative Affairs, believes Georgia needs to pursue clean energy incentives: “The most practical thing for EMCs that serve rural Georgia [to do] is to rely on… incentives to get EMCs to use clean energy and to support clean energy investments… Conservation and energy efficiency is part of the answer.”
Representative Lynn Smith, chairlady of the Georgia General Assembly House of Representatives’ Natural Resources and Environment Committee, has a similar take: “The big question is how do you make this clean energy practical for smaller communities. The problem in rural Georgia is the declining population because those who are there have to bear a larger property tax burden, which is another factor driving more people away, so trying to address energy delivery to these rural areas with poor local government functioning infrastructure is very difficult.”
Solar
As a result of the solar boom across the state, large solar farms of up to 1,000 acres are being built, leaving rural communities unprepared. Local governments, which approve/deny permits for solar construction sites, normally deal with small site areas, a contrast to what is being built now. These smaller governments do not have the capacity, personnel, or experience to deal with larger projects, posing issues of unfinished solar initiatives despite the strong inclination to invest in solar. This has been seen in projects across the industry, such as Electric Cities of Georgia’s year-long delay of their first big solar project, a collaboration with Walmart.
Not all locals are on board with the influx of solar farm production. As of 2023, Georgia has no statewide solar panel end-of-life policies governing the decommissioning of solar installations. This makes the removal process difficult, as it often falls on rural landowners — who are leasing the land for solar development — to restore their land to its previous condition. There is also the fear that when solar farms are decommissioned, the lack of proper land treatment will cause the soil to erode, as grading is often needed to flatten land before installing panels. This erosion could not only lead to the decline of the land’s value but also to negative impacts on local wildlife.
Brown discussed how we can prioritize rural regions when developing sustainable solar systems. “Rural South Georgia has a big advantage when it comes to affordable land to build solar farms. I think we are the beneficiaries of what will be the next largest generation of clean energy in Georgia. [But] I am concerned about the use of sustainable agriculture practices. Georgia is not ahead of the curve, and when we look at sustainable methods, they are not prevalent across Georgia.”
Brown suggested, “One solution to prevent erosion is planting around solar panels on solar farms and bringing sheep in to eat the grass that grows around the panels that have to be otherwise mowed to keep the solar panels from getting shaded by growth.” Steps to mitigate the environmental issues that rural communities face as a result of poor solar panel implementation can be made. It is a matter of local governments prioritizing regulatory practices and ensuring the long-term longevity of landowners’ property.
Clean Combustion Systems
Despite some issues implementing solar infrastructure in rural Georgia communities, there have been successes with other clean energy technologies. Recently, Soperton, a town in rural Georgia, has become home to the world’s first sustainable jet fuel factory of its kind — a project launched by LanzaJet. The factory uses “alcoholto-jet” technology, which converts ethanol to lower-carbon jet fuel for commercial aircraft use. This fuel is designed to cut greenhouse gas emissions by more than 70% when compared to conventional fuel. Annually, the location will produce 9 million gallons of sustainable aviation fuel and 1 million gallons of renewable diesel fuel. The majority of the ethanol will be sourced from the feedstocks of farmers nearby. This investment in new technology, combined with the growing understanding of clean combustion — the process of burning fuels that produces minimal or no air pollution — will not only help drive clean energy use across the state but will also help attract investment in more clean energy infrastructure in rural communities.
Energy is one of these things where, whether it’s an electric vehicle or a coal plant, you have a societal impact, such as by making pollution while also enhancing peoples lives. Energy has this wonderful legacy of being a great enabler of our quality of life, while on the other hand the air quality problems it has created is one of the biggest costs of our health.
Dr. Timothy Charles Lieuwen, executive director of the Strategic Energy Institute at Georgia Tech and member of the National Petroleum Council (a Congressionally chartered committee that advises the U.S. Secretary of Energy), has spent his career focusing on issues that arise with the development of clean combustion systems and alternative fuel usage. Lieuwen said clean combustion systems mitigate Georgia’s increasing climate issues; “They will continue to be a part of our energy system. 20% of our energy is delivered to users via electricity, 80% [via] fuel. Essentially, to get to net-zero CO2, we need to have 50% of our energy delivered to electricity, and the other half to fuel. Combustion will play a net role in our net-zero future. Today, most [of Georgia’s energy usage] come[s] from fossil fuels, [but] tomorrow [most will come from] renewable energy sources.”
When thinking of our rural communities, we must ensure we are creating financially equitable options, better investing in technology infrastructure, and supporting our local governments every step of the way. There is proven promise in the success of clean energy networks — whether through solar panels, environmentally-friendly vehicles, or natural gas. But to make sure our rural communities are not getting left behind in this energy revolution, we must focus on adapting clean energy infrastructure plans to be better suited for rural capacity needs.
