First came the praise. Then came the questions.
Shareholders at Atlanta-based Southern Co.'s annual meeting Wednesday applauded the utility for closing some coal-fired units, increasing its use of natural gas and adding solar, wind and biomass to the energy mix.
But those who spoke during the hourlong question-and-answer session reminded Southern chairman and CEO Tom Fanning of his "I'm bullish on solar" statement at the company's annual meeting a year ago and asked whether he really meant it.
"We need to be the leading company in the nation in solar. We need to make the big bet on growing Southeast solar industries, and we need to set the nation's standard on solar energy," said Sam Booher, former head of the Sierra Club's Georgia chapter.
Booher, one of six shareholders to bring up solar or other renewable energy, also told Fanning of a friend in Savannah whose rooftop solar panels produced electricity last Friday, a day when it was raining, to counter arguments made by utilities that renewable sources of energy don't work all the time.
Fanning pointed out Southern's efforts to beef up its use of sun power. This includes building a 30-megawatt solar farm in New Mexico and buying 50 megawatts of solar to use in Georgia. One megawatt of solar can produce enough electricity to power 250 homes.
Two percent of electricity generated and purchased by Southern comes from renewable sources, including hydroelectricity.
Solar has a future in the Southeast, but a backup system is needed, Fanning said.
"What we've got to do is plant a reliable system ... what we have to do is to be able to handle the swings on the electric network when in fact they aren't at 100 [percent]," Fanning said.
A few shareholders pressed Fanning to explain why Southern is building two nuclear reactors in Waynesboro one year after a major nuclear plant meltdown in Japan. The project already faces scheduling delays and a chance that its $14 billion price tag could rise because of them.
Fanning said Plant Vogtle's reactors are not built on a coastline or in a seismic area that could be prone to earthquakes. The reactor technology and design are different than what were used in Japan.
With respect to the project's timeline and budget, Fanning offered this: "All targets are achievable with respect to schedule and, ultimately, cost to customers."
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