DEL.ICIO.USQ&A: Walter Brown of Green Street Properties
Alternative energy catching on
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Thursday, May 07, 2009
A decade ago, Walter Brown and partners Charles Brewer and Katherine Kelley helped pioneer a market for energy-efficient, mixed-use development in Atlanta. Their Green Street Properties “new urbanism” projects include Glenwood Park in East Atlanta.
Today, Brown is pushing for investment in a new “green” frontier – solar energy – as head of the Georgia Solar Energy Association. The trade group for solar developers, GSEA has had some significant legislative victories recently, including a bill allowing hefty tax credits for solar projects last year and a measure this year that would allow businesses to get solar development grants.
LOUIE FAVORITE/lfavorite@ajc.com
Walter Brown says the promise of federal incentives is having an impact on green markets. Louie Favorite
Combined with federal incentives, it means businesses can add solar technology now for only 35 percent of the cost.
Despite that, Brown says Georgia leaders don’t yet understand what alternative energies like solar power could mean to the state. He said they don’t yet appreciate the potential impact on the state’s economy.
Q: When you and your partners started Green Street, was there a market for that kind of development?
A: There was an early adopter market back in 2001, but it hadn’t gone mainstream. It certainly feels as if there’s a mainstream market now, when you look at the bookshelves and the publications. … We were very much helped by having identified a cultural creative market we believed would be interested in the kinds of things our buyers ended up responding to. The urban space. Walkability. Green was a part of that. Was it the only issue for buyers? No. But it was very much a part of the mix.
Q: Did the economy bite into the green development market?
A: We couldn’t build them fast enough at one time. Were we immune? No. We’re water resistant. We’re not water proof.
Q: What kind of difference will a new administration make to green markets?
A: There was already a lot of talk about it. And now there’s money behind the talk. I think the administration does take very seriously the idea that green collar jobs and investment in energy independence can be a significant driver to the economy. (The promise of federal incentives) is having an impact, changing the investment strategies for companies, whether its Energy Star buildings or the tax credits for energy efficiency.
Q: How is solar power getting to market in Georgia now?
A: Georgia Power pays 17.7 cents per kilowatt hour for solar power. But they also have a low cap on how much solar they buy. With the new stimulus package, (including federal and state incentives) that limit is going to be hit sometime this summer. What we desperately need is a new tariff (price paid for solar power) or an expansion of the existing tariff, a lifting of that cap.
Q: What are green jobs and how can that play out in Georgia? How can solar power help Georgia’s economy?
A: We see green jobs as a real viable opportunity. Look at Suniva. It was started by Georgia Tech guy to build highly efficient solar cells. The state bends over backwards to attract economic development. Suniva got none. Now they sell all over the world. I believe they have 70 employees now. We believe the state could do more to attract solar panel manufacturers. Suniva makes the solar cells. But nobody is making the panels in this state. It’s low hanging fruit. You could buy the panel production apparatus in a catalogue. … I hate to say it right now, because we have had good success recently at the legislature. But I think Georgia public officials are blinded by the debate over whether solar power is practical for our utilities. We are missing the point… . We could make billions of dollars of investment in this. We could work at all different levels on this.
Q: Do you think Georgia’s electric grid is adequate to accept power from diverse new sources?
A: At the Georgia Solar Energy Association, we are strongly of the belief that small distributive power systems also have many advantages. To the extent that the grid needs to be smarter to do that, we support it. Georgia Power already as dual metering at the source for solar. But there needs to be more.
Q: Why is solar development important in Georgia?
A: I’m a big proponent of energy efficiency. We want to marry the two, efficiency and solar power, so ultimately we reach the goal of carbon neutral buildings.
Q: What kind of development do you see happening here?
A: There are vast flat roofs that could have solar panels. Look at all the parking lots. You look around Georgia and Atlanta and the thing you are aghast at is how much we have leveled buildings and replaced them with parking lots with flat roofs. You could put solar panels on those roofs. Walmart has proven that it works. It’s being done wherever there are significant encouragements. … There’s no lack of opportunities for places to put this technology. But it’s going to take a few high profile projects, until the state begins to go `Wow, this is more than a philosophy. This is economic development.’
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