Sustainable Georgia Roundup

Park Expansion: The Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, which has expanded gradually since its creation in the 1970s, recently added 55 acres north of Duluth. Another 40 acres are expected to be added soon, pending negotiations with private landowners. As part of the National Park Service, the park’s property encompasses approximately 7,000 acres along 48 miles of the Chattahoochee River.

Solar Celebration: A 52-MW solar facility has been completed in Hazlehurst. It will likely generate more than 134 million kW hours of renewable energy annually for customers of Green Power EMC, which was created by Georgia’s electric membership corporations in 2001 to be the state’s first green energy provider. The new utility-scale solar energy plant occupies 480 acres; during its eight-month construction, more than 300 workers helped build it.

More Sunny Investment: The Georgia Public Service Commission approved a massive 139-MW solar project near Robins Air Force Base that will go online in 2019. As Georgia Power’s largest single solar project, the facility will be located on 870 acres of land leased from the Central Georgia Joint Development Authority and include more than 500,000 solar panels. Construction will begin next year at an estimated cost of $200 million.

100 Percent Clean: On May 1, the Atlanta City Council pledged that all city government operations will run completely on renewable energy by 2025 and the entire city, including the private sector, must convert to renewable power by 2035. Atlanta is among 27 U.S. cities, and the first in Georgia, that have committed to 100 percent clean energy.