Georgia Magazine - September 2010 - (Page 15)

Georgia’s energy outlook WHEREAS, these dedicated professionals help keep Georgians and others warm in the winter and cool in the summer, often facing extreme conditions outdoors in order to restore lost power to customers; and WHEREAS, when there is an urgent need to have power restored to an area, Georgia’s power linemen must sacrifice time away from their families on birthdays and holidays in order to provide power needed to restore comfort and safety to customers. To see a complete copy of SR 1500, visit tinyurl.com/sr1500, and go to tinyurl.com/hr1964 to read HR 1964. A ‘basket’ full of energy There’s an old saying on the from coal, 12 percent from gas, and farm that you should “never put all 5 percent from hydroelectric power. your eggs in one basket.” The idea, In the not-too-distant future, of course, is that by spreading the this diversity will be enhanced fureggs out across several containers, ther by the addition of a large bioonly a portion of them would be mass electric generating plant to be broken if any one basket was built by Oglethorpe Power for codropped. This philosophy seems far ops in Georgia. The plant is removed from the electric power planned for Warren County and business, but it actually makes a lot scheduled to become operational in of sense when it comes to power 2015. It will be fueled by a woody supply. When suppliers are able to biomass mixture consisting primariuse a wide range of fuel types, there ly of whole tree chips and chipped is more flexibility and less cost and pulpwood, along with wood from supply uncertainty. And, in the end, sawmills and wood remaining in the consumers save money. forest after clearing. This environGeorgia’s electric cooperatives mentally friendly facility will proare fortunate to have a diversified vide needed electric power using portfolio of power-generating re- renewable, homegrown fuel from sources. Their power comes from one of Georgia’s most abundant coal, nuclear, gas, hydroelectric and natural resources. oil-powered plants—a mixture that By aggressively pursuing diversihas helped them keep electricity costs ty in power-generating sources, well below the national average. Georgia’s electric co-ops are working As an example, the 39 electric hard to ensure that, for EMC concooperatives that own Oglethorpe sumers, electricity truly comes from Power Corp., a power supply coop- many “baskets.” erative, receive power generated at several differFuel sources of energy generated for EMCs ent plants powered by in 2009 by Oglethorpe Power Corp. (OPC)* natural gas, as well as two nuclear plants, two coalfired plants and one large hydroelectric plant. Plus, they have access to hydroelectric power generated at federally owned dams throughout the Southeast. Because of differences in purpose, and the cost to operate each plant, not all generating facilities run all of the time. But, together they produce a diversified mixture of energy for delivery to coop consumers around the state. In 2009, 44 percent of the energy provided by Oglethorpe Power to its 39 member co-ops came *OPC resources supply roughly 2/3 of overall EMC energy demand in Georgia. from nuclear, 39 percent More online at www.georgiamagazine.org 15 ALEXIS HUGHES / OCONEE EMC Student wins laptop Last October, Oconee Electric Membership Corp. President/CEO Marty Smith presented Blake Bethea, a freshman at West Laurens High School in Dublin, with a new laptop computer. The presentation took place at the electric cooperative’s office in Dudley. Bethea was the winner of GEORGIA Magazine’s 2009 statewide laptop contest. GEORGIA Magazine created the annual contest to encourage students to fill out and send in the reader inquiry coupon included in the magazine’s annual September Higher Education Guide. The coupon enables students to request information on specific schools and allows them to enter the laptop giveaway. Find this year’s coupon on page 45 of both the print and digital edition of the September 2010 issue, or enter online at www.georgiamagazine.org/ sept2010EGdrawing. September 2010 http://www.tinyurl.com/sr1500 http://www.tinyurl.com/hr1964 http://www.georgiamagazine.org/sept2010EGdrawing http://www.georgiamagazine.org/sept2010EGdrawing http://www.georgiamagazine.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - September 2010

Georgia Magazine - September 2010
Contents
Viewpoint
Mailbox
Picture This!
Georgia News
Calendar
Currents
Special Energy Report
A Fast Track to the Airwaves
Crossing Cultures
Georgia's First Botanical Garden
The 2010 Washington Youth Tour
Higher Education in Georgia
Around Georgia
Travel Guide
My Georgia
Georgia@Home
Georgia Gardens
Georgia Cooks
Cookbook of the Month
Snapshot

Georgia Magazine - September 2010