L~ GASolar 

TESTIMONY OF BRION FITZPATRICK 

VICE CHAIRMAN 

GEORGIA SOLAR ENERGY ASSOCIATION 

1199 Euclid Ave., NE 

Atlanta, GA 30307 

404-522-4 775 

My name is Brion Fitzpatrick. I am here to represent the Georgia Solar Energy 

Association, which I will refer to as Georgia Solar. I am vice chairman of GA Solar. 

I also work as the Director of Business Development for Inman Solar, a Georgia-based 

solar project development and installation company, a position I have held for 6 

years. 

Georgia has made great strides over the past two years in the development of its solar 

resources. In 2012, the state had less than 20 megawatts of solar energy in 

production. Today, Georgia is producing more than 100 megawatts of solar energy, a 

number that is growing every day. 

With the visionary encouragement of the Georgia Public Service Commission and 

Georgia Power's Advanced Solar Initiative (AS!) in cooperation with Georgia's solar 

industry professionals, this rapid deployment of solar energy infrastructure has been 

possible without any upward pressure on rates. The best news of all is that Georgia's 

vast potential for solar energy production, rated among the nation's best by the 

National Renewable Energy Laboratory, remains largely untapped. 

Hundreds of firms throughout the state are engaged in this solar energy market. And 

that number doesn't count the many other professionals whose skills are important 

to successful solar development. These professionals are creating long-term 

investment and improving productivity throughout the state. 

Since the inception of the Georgia Power AS!, the largest voluntary solar program in 

the nation, Georgia is on track to add 735 megawatts of solar generation within a 36-

month period. Since it was approved in November 2012 and launched in 2013, the 

Georgia Power AS! has prompted a significant increase in the number of solar jobs 

and firms involved in this market sector. Most of those professionals belong to our 
organization 'GA Solar', which strives to educate Georgia's homeowners, 

policymakers and the business community on the many benefits of solar energy. 

Our success is increasingly apparent as our solar portfolio grows. Although most solar 

installations have previously been located in Georgia's more urban areas - like 

Atlanta, Savannah, Macon, and Augusta - the Georgia Power AS! is now building 

significant economic potential in the state's more rural areas, which have been 

hungry for the kind of local investment and the jobs solar projects create. This year, 

the AS! program received more than 1,200 applications from which fewer than 200 

projects were selected. Maps produced by local solar energy engineers show many 

available sites for large-scale solar development throughout the state. We also are 

seeing an uptick in solar energy projects and resources for Georgia's 41 Electric 

Membership Cooperatives, and the 49 Municipal Electric Authorities of Georgia, 

which serve the state's rural communities. 

Georgia is home to many solar companies, most of them locally established, that 

manufacture solar equipment; design, locate and develop projects; install and 

maintain solar generation sites, and invest in innovative solar research and 

development. 

We are prepared to meet the demands of a changing energy portfolio with an 

experienced, trained and ready workforce. Whatever opportunities occur in our 

market for increased renewable energy resources, we have the skills, the people and 

the supply chain in place to meet it. 

At Georgia Solar, we know and are working hard to help the public understand that 

solar energy is not a partisan issue. Constantly improving technology and 

dramatically declining prices in the elements of solar infrastructure have combined 

to make solar energy a viable, cost-effective resource at every economic level. 

According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, the price of solar panels has 

fallen 60 percent in the last three years. Solar's cost-competitiveness with traditional 

generating resources was officially recognized by Georgia Power and the Georgia 

Public Service Commission in their 2013 Integrated Resource Planning process. 

From 50-megawatt solar farms to residential rooftop installations, solar energy is 

becoming a practical part of Georgia's energy portfolio. Solar energy can offer the 

state's homeowners savings on their utility bills; give business owners more budget 

flexibility with lower energy costs; improve our domestic energy security, and ease 

expensive peak demand on our energy grid. By improving policies at the state level 

that reflect current market practices and the benefits solar energy contributes to the 

grid, even more savings and productivity can be achieved. 

According to a study by the Solar Foundation, Georgia experienced the highest growth 

rate in the nation for solar jobs between 2012 and 2013, an astonishing 225 percent. 

This shows how quickly we can deploy our solar industry to meet the state's needs 

for a diverse energy portfolio. Solar energy can help the state deploy new renewable 
.. 

energy resources cost-effectively while improving Georgia's economic assets with no 

upward pressure on utility rates. 

Increasing solar energy also offers Georgia the added benefit of reducing water 

demand for energy production, a significant and growing concern for our state 

leaders. Georgia has been in negotiations with its neighboring states for more than 

two decades over water withdrawals from our shared surface water resources. 

Roughly half of those withdrawals go to produce electricity. By shifting some of the 

energy load to solar PV, which uses no water to generate, we can ease that demand 

without sacrificing our economic growth potential. 

I will leave it to the EPA and other policymakers to determine the right goals for 

Georgia in this dialogue over air quality and energy production. But on behalf of more 

than 1,000 solar energy professionals who live and work in Georgia, I am here to 

reassure you that Georgia is ready to deploy its solar energy resources. Solar energy 

is: 

• Clean 

• Carefully regulated 

• Cost-effective 

• Quickly deployed 

• A proven resource 

Thank you for this opportunity to speak to the benefits of solar energy on behalf of 

The Georgia Solar Energy Association, and the professionals and consumers who 

stand to benefit from solar in our state.