Georgia committee hears bill to create voluntary renewable energy reporting system for PSC

Representative Frey, sponsor of LC 550476, told the House Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications Committee on an Atlanta hearing that the bill would establish a voluntary renewable energy portfolio reporting system for the Public Service Commission (PSC).

"This is basically a voluntary renewable energy portfolio standard," Representative Frey said, describing the measure as a "cost effective way just to study the conservation of our resources and the cost of generating alternative energy." He told the committee the bill would authorize the PSC to collect and monitor two primary data points: the return on investment for alternative (renewable) energy sources and the comparative cost of externally sourced energy.

The bill does not mandate renewable generation by utilities, Frey said. "Nobody has to do anything," he said, adding the bill includes a 20% cap and that, according to his understanding of Georgia Power’s filings, Georgia Power already operates at about that level. He described the proposal as a "conversation starter" to inform future planning and economic decisions.

Committee members questioned how LC 550476 would interact with existing integrated resource planning and proprietary data. Chairman Parsons and Representative Kent asked whether the PSC already collects the requested data and whether the PSC could make the information public. Frey said he was not aware that the PSC currently collects these specific ROI data points and agreed that if the PSC already had the data, the bill might be unnecessary.

Members also raised concerns about regional differences and model constraints for judging cost effectiveness. Chairman Martin and Representative Moore discussed that outcomes depend on the criteria used to run any modeling and that the PSC should take the first pass at developing those criteria. Frey said the bill would authorize the PSC to promulgate rules and asked that the commission be given discretion to establish appropriate measurement standards in its 2030 and 2050 planning documents.

Committee members discussed scope: Frey said the measure is voluntary for energy providers and would primarily involve the five elected members of the Public Service Commission to implement monitoring and reporting. He said electric membership corporations (EMCs) likely would not be bound by the reporting requirement, though the bill would encourage statewide participation.

The committee treated the presentation as a hearing only. At the close of remarks, the committee chair said he would assign LC 550476 to Chairman Martin’s subcommittee for further consideration; no formal vote on the bill was recorded.

The hearing included discussion of specific energy sources and industry trade-offs—members asked about biomass, nuclear and carbon-capture technologies, and the geographic and temporal variation in costs—but produced no decision beyond referral to subcommittee. Frey said the purpose of the measure is to provide continuous monitoring of energy sources and their costs so policymakers can gauge whether the state’s energy mix is producing the best economic outcome for ratepayers and industry.

For the record: the bill is identified in committee materials as LC 550476; the hearing was described by witnesses and members as "hearing only," with assignment to subcommittee as the next step.