Georgia Public Service Commission should focus on lowering power bills

Yet the value of that solar is locked up, held captive by a monopoly utility under a Republican PSC. Solar power is deeply undervalued by the utility, who is instead building expensive new fossil fuel power plants right now.

We should embrace what God delivers every day to us: solar power. The sun is the most reliable energy source in Georgia, rising every day. Agriculture is the largest business in Georgia. In this state, we should be able to farm the sun, just as we farm the land.

Power customers say they feel unheard and underserved

When we shift our domestic energy production to solar - and other renewable energy-based electric generation - and away from fossil fuel generation, we are less tied to the global markets for oil (to which our economic is closely tied) and global liquefied natural gas markets, where we are becoming increasingly tied to international markets in Asia and Europe especially.

Credit: hand

Credit: hand

By contrast, the fuel required each year for fossil power plants results in billions of dollars going out of state to Wyoming and Texas, instead of being spent or invested in Georgia. Solar with storage strengthens the reliability of the electric grid. Yet while there is solar power now in Georgia, the benefits are not shared equitably with low and moderate income people who face a high energy burden, a high public health burden, and who are disproportionately brown or Black.

As a candidate, I now receive requests for help from PSC constituents not served by incumbent Republican District 3 Commissioner Fitz Johnson.

Harold in Lithonia wrote to me to say he has solar on his home but doesn’t see much benefit. He buys 500 kilowatt-hours (kWh) from Georgia Power on average each month for $103, or 21¢ per kWh. He sells 200 kWh of solar back to Georgia Power each month for $15, or 7.3¢ per kWh. Harold uses half the electricity of a typical customer, and he sells solar back to the grid. Yet he is locked out of the generous deal of full solar value for 15 years that only 5,000 lucky customers have. The Republican PSC is failing to regulate on behalf of the people of Georgia. Harold is getting a bad deal.

By contrast, data centers are getting a good deal. According to my calculations, large data centers pay only 4.2¢ per kWh to Georgia Power. You pay five times more, or 21¢ per kWh, which is a massive cost shift from residential customers to data centers.

The sweetheart deals don’t stop there. In 2024, Gov. Brian Kemp vetoed House Bill 1192 that would raise the sales tax on data centers from 0% to literally any level that would benefit the neighborhoods where data centers are built. Some data centers enjoy property taxes based on a nearly 10% valuation, so tax revenues are far lower than they should be.

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Data centers consume enormous amounts of electricity and water. The Republican PSC passed a rule in January that claims to require data centers cover their full electricity costs. Of course, that implies data centers were not covering their full costs before the rule. But the rule itself is weak, giving discretion to Georgia Power. The rule says, “the Company may require additional terms and conditions … when the Company deems it appropriate” to ensure all costs are recovered. The Republican PSC gives the monopoly utility control to decide what electricity rates are just and reasonable.

The current Republican commissioners all accept money from Georgia Power affiliates, according to the Georgia Campaign Finance System website.

They are not telling the truth when they say there is no risk or cost shift to residential customers from data centers or fossil fuel plants. Republican PSC members did not tell the truth about Vogtle Nuclear Units 3 and 4, which is now the most expensive power plant in the world. Today, Georgia Power is building expensive and dirty fossil power plants for new data centers. The Republican PSC is shifting the high cost of these dirty fossil fuels onto the most vulnerable in our community, who can’t afford skyrocketing power bills.

But you can do something about it. Please vote early by Friday or on primary runoff election day July 15 for the only candidate with a detailed plan to lower power bills for the people of Georgia. Check locations at mvp.sos.ga.gov.

The Public Service Commission is important because the PSC sets your power bill, gas bill, internet bill and regulates railroads. The PSC directly regulates the monopoly electric utility Georgia Power Co. Decisions made by the PSC indirectly impact the 41 Electric Membership Corporations in Georgia and those served by TVA or municipal electric authorities.

Peter Hubbard is a 15-year energy industry expert and District 3 candidate for Public Service Commission. He is competing in the July 15 Democratic primary runoff against Keisha Sean Waites, who previously wrote a guest opinion column for AJC, which appeared June 9 online and June 23 in print. The runoff winner will face Republican incumbent Fitz Johnson in the Nov. 4 general election.