Southern’s Ratcliffe signs solar deal with Ted Turner - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

The Atlanta Business Chronicle announced a significant development in the solar energy industry.
The creation of such large-scale solar power plants can bring many benefits: they aim towards independence from foreign energy sources, they provide local jobs during the plant's production and maintenance, and they allow us to create energy in a sustainable way.

To the professionals involved in the solar industry, the sustainability industry, and the built environment, and to informed and concerned citizens (I fall within several of those categories), it's disappointing that Georgia has yet to emerge as a hotbed for solar power activity. As a Sunbelt state that routinely welcomes transplants who enjoy its favorable climate, Georgia would seem to be an ideal place to locate large-scale solar plants.

So what's missing?

Not the sun. Contrary to some opinions, the Southeast US has plenty of sun to support solar energy production.

Not the economics. Georgia certainly could use the economic development in a time when the state faces more than 10% unemployment.

Not the manufacturers. Georgia has recently attracted a number of solar firms to the area. Georgia Tech startup Suniva is expanding its production; Enfinity has recently announced its headquarters relocation to Atlanta; and MiaSole is planning a large thin-film solar plant in Griffin, Georgia.

However, Georgia does have some obstacles to overcome before we'll see any development of this kind, and they appear to be legal, political, and educational in nature.
One key component of the ABC's announcement is the 25-year power purchase agreement. I don't claim I am an expert on the subject, but I do know that Georgia does not allow such agreements.
And without a buyer for the generated solar power, the deals are dead on the vine.

So, no matter how much sun we have, or or how good it would be for the local economy, or how readily available the materials are, large scale solar power developments are not an option in the current legal and politial climate.
Want to know more? Maybe our legislators can tell us.

BOMA Publication and Green Real Estate Symposium

I've recently submitted an article to the Atlanta chapter of BOMA, which has just been published in its quarterly publication of "Insight: The Commercial Real Estate Journal."

Don't Forget About Energy Star!

The entire issue's focus is on "Saving Green by Going Green," and also features great articles by Greg O'Brien (Sustainable Options), and Wayne Robertson (Energy Ace). Also featured are two great case studies of Atlanta office buildings which have recently achieved LEED-EBOM Gold certification: the historic Hurt Building, and 1155 Perimeter Center West. Congratulations to those buildings for such a great achievement!

I'm also excited to be a part of BOMA's newly created Green Real Estate Symposium Task Force. The team is led by Pat Freeman, and consists of prominent sustainability experts from firms including Behringer Harvard, Wells Management Company, CBRE, Parmenter Realty Partners, and General Services Administration. Our objective is to organize an event in early 2010 related to sustainability in buildings. Stay tuned for more information..

Presentation to BOMA Atlanta

As part of completing my Masters degree in Integrated Facilities Management from Georgia Tech, I wrote my master's thesis on the topic of energy efficiency in Atlanta's private office buildings. The Atlanta chapter of BOMA (Building Owners and Managers Association) invited me to present my results to their August 12th luncheon. With a crowd of nearly 400 people, I presented my findings, including a call to building representatives to pursue the Energy Star certification for their buildings. I'm thankful to BOMA and Georgia Tech for making this opportunity possible for me. I even got top billing on this week's Rooster!

Rooster Media Report

Below are three clips from my presentation.

Atlanta Beltline Market Study

Formerly with real estate consultant firm Robert Charles Lesser & Company (RCLCO), I worked on a variety of market analysis studies for upcoming residential and commercial developments. One of my favorite projects is a study we performed for the Atlanta Beltline, to quantify the expected amount of residential and commercial development that each subarea of the Beltline could support.

RCLCO Beltline Market Study

Energy Star buildings in metro Atlanta

I've recently studied the status of energy efficiency in Atlanta's private office buildings. It seems that the Atlanta area is just beginning to realize the potential of increasing energy efficiency in its existing buildings. You may be familiar with the Energy Star certification program, which provides a third-party endorsement of a building's level of energy efficiency. This certification is an excellent goal for any building - especially since there are documented studies that demonstrate powerful financial benefits for buildings which achieve the certification. Check out these links!

CoStar Study Finds Energy Star, LEED Bldgs. Outperform Peers

Doing Well by Doing Good? An analysis of the financial performance of green office buildings in the USA.

Interestingly, only 16% of metro Atlanta's approximate 190,000,000 square feet of office space has ever achieved the Energy Star certification. In fact, nearly all of this has occurred since 2007, when interest in achieving the Energy Star certification appears to have reached a critical mass. This certification should be maintained each year by re-certifying the building. In 2008, only 10% of office space was current with their certification.

I believe the metro Atlanta area has an opportunity to voluntarily increase the energy efficiency of our existing buildings now. The only thing we have to lose are the high energy bills.