Turn It Off Georgia for Earth Hour March 28

On Saturday, March 28, Gerogia Tech has committed to join more than 1,700 cities and towns, 5,000 organizations and 18,000 business in 80 countries to save energy.

Started by the World Wildlife Fund in 2007, the Earth Hour initiative seeks participants from across the globe to turn off their lights and other electrical appliances on March 28 from 8:30 to 9:30PM

“We see ourselves as a leader in sustainability, and this is an opportunity for us to be at the forefront and inspire other institutions to join the cause,” said Howard Wertheimer, director of Capital Planning & Space Management. “There is becoming enough critical mass out there.”

After participating in the event last year, Tech was solicited to become a Flagship campus, according to Wertheimer. By signing on, the Institute has agreed to “turn out, take action” by creating a board of students and faculty to plan Earth Hour events; encourage that non-essential campus lights be dimmed; promote climate-conscious decisions campus-wide; encourage student communications with policy makers; and report back to the WWF Earth Hour Team with campus plans.

Wertheimer stated that some data reported by Facilities last year suggested a 4 percent reduction in energy use—not an insignificant number for a Institute of this size.

As students on campus will be asked to darken their residence halls, Wertheimer encourages the entire community to participate, even though Earth Hour is on a Saturday. “Faculty and staff members can turn off their office lights, shut down their computers and unplug their microwaves and clock radios that Friday as they leave for the weekend,” he said.

Tech joins Atlanta, an Earth Hour Flagship City. The Georgia Tech Freshman Council, partnering with the Atlanta Mayor’s Office and City Council, will hold an Earth Hour party at the Campanile. Live music, free food and glowing candles, Atlanta District 2 Commissioner Kwanza Hall is scheduled to attend the event.

“It’s exciting for me, as Tech’s city councilman, to rally students in particular around Earth Hour,” Hall said. “We’re planning low-tech fun for the Campanile—the kind that leaves a small carbon footprint while generating long-lasting memories.”

For the future, Wertheimer said he sees the partnership with Atlanta growing out from just the city council and mayor’s office. “We have the opportunity to inspire people to make a cultural shift,” he said.

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The Brattle Group Projects $1.5 to $2.0 Trillion Investment Needed in the U.S. Electric Utility Industry by 2030

PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. utility industry will have to invest between $1.5 and $2.0 trillion between 2010 and 2030 to maintain current levels of reliable energy service for customers throughout the country, according to a new report issued today by The Brattle Group. The findings are detailed in "Transforming America's Power Industry: The Investment Challenge 2010-2030," presented today by Peter Fox-Penner, a principal of The Brattle Group, at the Edison Electric Institute's 43rd Financial Conference. The report was sponsored by the Edison Foundation.

"This study highlights the investment challenges confronting the power industry in the coming decades," said Dr. Fox-Penner. "The industry is facing enormous investment needs during a period of modest growth, high costs, and very substantial policy shifts," he explained.

All types of new generation capacity will be needed, including natural gas, coal, nuclear, and renewables. Nearly 40 gigawatts of new renewable capacity will be needed just to meet state requirements. Significantly, capital spending to upgrade distribution and transmission facilities nationwide may surpass investment in new generation, the study found. Spending on "smart grid" technologies to ramp up efficiency -- along with new power lines to integrate renewable electricity sources -- will account for much of that spending.

"The good news is that as a result of this very significant investment, our economy and utility customers will get more efficiency and control over their electricity use, lower-carbon generation, and a higher-technology, more resilient and reliable electric grid," Dr. Fox-Penner said.

The report, which follows highly publicized preliminary results introduced in April 2008 at an Edison Foundation conference, analyzes four possible scenarios that measure the impact of energy efficiency and demand response program implementation on investment needs and new plant construction. In the base case scenario, which does not account for new climate policies, the total investment needs are projected to reach $1.5 trillion. Implementation of a federal carbon policy would significantly increase the capital cost and change the mix of new generation capacity; for instance, a simplified model of one scenario with carbon controls would require an increase in total capital spending to $2 trillion.

Another key finding in the study is a large potential reduction in the need for new generation capacity, due to the faster than previously estimated implementation of energy efficiency and demand response programs. In the preliminary results, energy efficiency was estimated to potentially reduce new capacity by 17%. In the final results, the potential reduction in new capacity is projected to be approximately 38%. However, reductions in new required capacity will not correlate to an equal reduction in total investment due to the offsetting costs of implementing the efficiency programs.

"It is important to emphasize that while energy efficiency and demand response programs can significantly reduce the need for new generation capacity, they cannot eliminate the need for new power plants," Dr. Fox-Penner observed.

Marc Chupka and Robert Earle, principals of The Brattle Group, directed the study which is available at www.brattle.com and www.edisonfoundation.net.

The Brattle Group provides consulting services and expert testimony in economics and finance to corporations, law firms, and public agencies worldwide. Areas of expertise include antitrust and competition; electric power, natural gas, and petroleum; valuation and damages; and regulation and planning in network industries. For more information, visit www.brattle.com.

The Washington-based Edison Foundation is dedicated to bringing the benefits of electricity to families, businesses, and industries worldwide.

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Georgia's Forest Industry Contributions Recognized

Governor Sonny Perdue has proclaimed October 19-25 National Forest Products Week,
highlighting the Georgia Forestry industry’s $28.5 billion impact on the state in 2007. According to statistics released by The Georgia Institute of Technology, the Forestry industry also provided
employment for more than 141,000 Georgians and compensation of $6.7 billion to employees and proprietors.

“Our state is one of the nation’s leading pulp and paper producers,” said Nathan McClure, Forest
Marketing Director for the Georgia Forestry Commission. “While the building products industry is being affected by downturns in real estate, the outlook is for positive future growth in relation to bioenergy.”

According to the report, the “Manufactured housing” economic impact sector posted the greatest
loss between 2006 and 2007 at 14.7%. “Pulp and Paper” and “Packaging” were two sectors that
experienced gains during 2007, reflecting increases in wood products exports.

Georgia ships more than $16 billion of forest products, such as lumber, paper, paperboard and
allied products every year. The report shows local economies of 37 Georgia counties are “very” or
“critically” dependant on the forest manufacturing industry. The Forest Industry ranks second in Georgia behind food processing when considering compensation to employees and proprietors. Forestry ranks third behind textiles and food processing when considering number of employees.

“Construction is continuing on the state’s first commercial scale pine-to-ethanol production plant in Soperton,” said McClure. “Plans have also been announced to build five pine-to-electricity plants in the state. Our rural forestry economy can be expected to improve as more investments are made in Georgia’s Bioenergy Corridor.”

The complete 2007 Economic Impact of Forest Products Manufacturing in Georgia report can be
viewed at GaTrees.org/Forest Marketing/Doing Business in Georgia.

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