Southern Renewable Energy Association

Deriva Energy has reached commercial operations on the 100 MW Wildflower Solar Project in Mississippi. This is the company's first investment in Mississippi. Japanese automotive powerhouse Toyota's North American subsidiary secured the power purchase agreement. 2024 was a strong year for renewables in Mississippi, with nearly 1 GW of solar PV installed across the state. Governor Tate Reeves promised to continue to push for more energy creation in Mississippi, noting in his 2025 State of the State that, "In today’s world, power is the key to prosperity. If we can be on the bleeding edge of energy technology, we can beat our peers and bring about more wealth and better lives for all Mississippians." https://lnkd.in/eKs6ZAcu

The Trump administration's claims that renewables increase energy costs are misleading. A recent Energy Innovation Policy and Technology LLC report warns that repealing clean-energy tax credits from the Inflation Reduction Act could lead to higher electric bills for Americans—averaging $83 more annually by 2035, with increases up to $152 in certain regions. Despite claims favoring fossil fuels, newly built solar and wind farms are now cheaper than 99% of existing coal plants and even outcompete fossil gas. With costs of solar and wind power not tied to volatile fossil fuel prices, they present a financially viable long-term solution for energy needs. More from Canary Media Inc. on the link ?? https://lnkd.in/eE66mkUd

Are power couples the answer to the question, "How can we effectively and efficiently power data centers?" RMI described in a recent paper the potential for "power couples," which are lots of new wind, solar and batteries connected to existing fossil gas-fired plants. The power couples would act as emergency generators for the grid at large, and would be in service of a data center, writes Jeff St. John for Canary Media Inc. St. John notes that by using this power couple structure, the data centers wouldn't draw energy from the grid, but would instead be connected to clean power behind the point of interconnection between the gas-fired plant and the grid at large. This would also allow for large-scale clean power projects to connect directly to the data center and provide power, avoiding the interconnection backlogs. Read more ?? https://lnkd.in/extHNUcp

The Georgia Public Service Commission is scheduled to begin hearing testimony on March 25 from Georgia Power regarding their long-term 2025 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP). Georgia lawmakers, clean energy and consumer advocacy groups are concerned about state regulators signing off on Georgia Power’s repeated utility bill increases as the investor-owned utility has passed along to ratepayers new electricity base rates, overrun costs associated with building two new Vogtle nuclear power plant units, coal ash cleanup and other expenses. All told, the average Georgia Power household is paying about $43 more per month on utility bills since the start of 2020. Georgia Power is the largest supplier of electricity in the state, with about 2.7 million customers. Company officials are projecting electrical load growth will increase by 8,200 megawatts by 2030, representing an increase of 2,200 megawatts compared to its forecast in the 2023?Integrated Resource Plan?update. One megawatt can power about 600 homes. Georgia Power updates its IRP every three years. It serves as the company’s 20-year comprehensive plan for meeting the needs of current and future customers. More information on the jump: https://lnkd.in/e2WgCG3W

It's Friday, and we're celebrating the end of a busy week for SREA! SREA, American Clean Power Association (ACP), and the Advanced Power Alliance hosted members of the Georgia Joint House Energy and Senate Regulated Industries Committee for dinner. Special Committee on Resource Management Chairman Brad Thomas give remarks about the recent establishment of his committee, and the importance of it's work as Georgia continues to confront?on-going demands for power and water. And on Monday, SREA hosted a great turnout for MISO South Transmission Advocates convening in New Orleans ahead of MISO Board of Director week. Special thanks to the Alliance for Affordable Energy for hosting the group for happy hour! ?? Taylor S., Andy Kowalczyk for the doing the hard work on these events.

How do states in the Southeast produce their electricity in comparison to other parts of the country? Texas and Florida lead in electricity generation from fossil fuels, while Texas and California are leading in renewable generation. The chart below represents the mix of electricity generation per state ?? Read more about the variations in your state's electricity mix at https://lnkd.in/eHeCXErg

WEBINAR - next Wednesday, SREA member Silicon Ranch Corporation and Tall Timbers are hosting Solar Development: Building Positive Working Relationships for Mutually Beneficial Outcomes. REGISTER HERE ?? https://lnkd.in/edqgNZya With the pace of utility scale solar site developments expected to increase dramatically over the coming decade, land trusts and environmental advocacy organizations alike will only continue to become more engaged with members of the solar development field. What opportunities exist for relationship building and positive engagement that lead to a productive relationship for both environmental advocates and solar developers alike? Please join Tall Timbers staff Neil Fleckenstein and Ben Naselius, and Loran Shallenberger, Senior Director of Regenerative Energy Operations with Silicon Ranch, as they examine the role of conservation organizations in the solar development discussion, as well as first-hand experiences building positive working relationships for mutually beneficial outcomes.

?? Check out those numbers ?? “Solar and storage can be built faster and more affordably than any other technology, ensuring the United States has the power needed to compete in the global economy and meet rising electricity demand,”?said SEIA president and CEO Abigail Ross Hopper.?“America’s solar and storage industry set historic deployment and manufacturing records in 2024, creating jobs and driving economic growth. It’s critical that lawmakers continue to support an ‘all of the above’ energy strategy that fosters the growth of American energy sources like solar and storage.” Read Solar Energy Industries Association's full report: https://lnkd.in/eY5MU5ix

?? Kentucky's Energy Future: A Call for Balance and Sustainability ?? On March 7, SREA submitted critical comments to the Kentucky Public Service Commission regarding LG&E and KU’s Joint Integrated Resource Plan (IRP). Highlights from SREA's feedback, supported by analysis from The Brattle Group, reveal significant concerns: ? Demand Assumptions: The IRP anticipates a substantial rise in electricity demand, primarily due to speculative data center projects. With only one project confirmed, this leads to a risk of overbuilding infrastructure. ? Underestimating Renewables: The plan undervalues solar and wind resources, assigning zero capacity value in winter—contrary to practices in neighboring regions. Additionally, it overlooks the rising reliability risks of gas and coal plants during extreme weather. ? Energy Imports: The IRP minimizes the potential benefits of importing energy from neighboring states, despite existing transmission capacities that could enhance cost-effectiveness and reliability. SREA's recommendations include: ? Establishing a transparent forecasting process for data center growth, considering clean energy demands. ? Reassessing the capacity contributions of renewables and adjust models to reflect thermal generation risks. ? Implementing competitive solicitations for renewable energy projects to gather market insights for informed investments. ? Optimizing the existing transmission network to access lower-cost energy imports. More in-depth analysis on the blog?? https://lnkd.in/ev_A48kv

Yesterday, members of the SREA team proudly witnessed the groundbreaking of Treaty Oak Clean Energy’s latest renewable energy project in Redfield, Ark. This project not only represents a significant investment in renewable energy but also promises to create jobs and drive economic growth in our local area ?? By the numbers: ? 100 megawatt project spanning 1,033 acres in Grant County ? Will create approx 200 construction jobs ? Will generate more than $10 mil in property tax revenue over its lifetime ? Total energy output - enough to power about 18,000 homes ? Slated to begin operation in 2026