Public Service Commissioner Tim Echols and other clean energy fans, from alternative fuel vehicle enthusiasts to solar power advocates, will be meeting across the state a few times over the next few months, examining the best practices ongoing in Georgia.
The events started in Atlanta at the Southface Institute on Tuesday, followed by a trip to the Georgia Cyber Center and Augusta University in Augusta on Wednesday. Suggested attendees for the roadshow includes government officials, energy managers, public works directors, fleet managers, shop foremen, business or manufacturing executives, sustainability and technology officers.
The roadshow’s goal is to help attendees understand the growth trends in electric, propane and natural gas for transportation; how to evaluate each of them relative to needs and uses; and finally, where to find additional resources and recommendations on funding and project implementation. It was originally conceived as a roundtable style gathering of experts to discuss the challenges of alternative fuel integration into private and government fleets, but has evolved into a broad, interactive series of seminars and tours.
“Energy costs can capture a major portion of any fleet operating budget, so it pays to be efficient with those dollars,” says Echols. “Whether you re-fit or replace vehicles, install solar, upgrade lighting or make energy efficiency improvements, our experts guide you through the planning and decision-making stages to make you RFP-ready. Funding can also be a challenge, so we load you up with information on grant and capital resources that can get you launched.”
Echols – besides being a public service commissioner – is also one of those aforementioned alternative fuel vehicle enthusiasts – also hosts a guided, walking showcase of alt-fuel cars, trucks and buses followed by a seminar on current trends in alternative fuel vehicle technology, transportation, energy security and resilience, for rural and urban communities.
Despite some hiccups on electric vehicle adoption by the average consumer, there have been tremendous gains in fleet and municipal usage. According to Clean Cities of Georgia, more than 50% of all new sanitation trucks are now natural gas powered. MARTA just announced that they will also be rolling out electric buses into their fleet.
Sponsors Technology Association of Georgia and Clean Cities Georgia also highlight their work building a clean tech future. It also features a number of other heavy hitter sponsors, including Georgia Power, Fort Valley-based bus maker Blue Bird, Nissan, Atlanta Gas Light and the Natural Gas Association of Georgia. Regarding Blue Bird, Echols also pointed to the changing nature of bus fleets, telling WJBF in Augusta, “Blue Bird, which is a Georgia company, they make buses down in Ft. Valley. The yellow school buses with a bird on it. Those buses now, about 25% of those buses that come off their assembly line, run on either propane or natural gas. And natural gas is a very cheap fuel. Very clean,” said Echols.
The series is designed to be accessible to all parts of the state. Albany will be September 24, Savannah is October 8, back in Atlanta on October 16 and final in Macon on October 17.
To learn more and register for an event near you, see here: http://cleanenergyroadshow.com/
