Georgia's electric cooperatives provided renewable energy to help power several FIRST Robotics Competition events, including the 2023 Peachtree District Championship which kicked off today in Emerson, Georgia. GeorgiaFIRST Robotics provides educational robotics programs for high school students, and each year hosts a series of competitions for students to compete with industrial-grade, semi-autonomous robots that their teams designed and built – testing the students' innovation, preparedness, and perseverance.

Green Power EMC, the renewable energy supplier for 38 Georgia Electric Membership Cooperatives (EMCs), is a "Friend of the Future" sponsor of the Peachtree District Championship. Cobb EMC, a member-owner of Green Power EMC and electric cooperative serving Bartow and other area counties, provided renewable energy to GeorgiaFIRST to help power the district championship and charge the student-built robots with clean, sustainable electricity, which was generated at the 20-megawatt Arlington solar facility located in South Georgia in Early County.

The theme of the 2023 FIRST Robotics Competition is CHARGED UP^SM, an energy-focused season encouraging innovation and engagement in a sustainable energy future. As leaders in solar energy deployment among all U.S. electric cooperatives, Georgia's EMCs have nearly 1,300 megawatts of operational solar energy today, with another 800 megawatts currently under construction.

Last week, Flint Energies, an electric cooperative headquartered in Reynolds, Georgia, and member-owner of Green Power EMC, helped to power the Macon Qualifier event with clean, sustainable energy generated at Houston Solar, a 68-megawatt solar facility located in Houston County, Georgia.

At the Gwinnett Qualifier event hosted in March, renewable energy to power the robotics competition was provided by Jackson EMC, an electric cooperative serving Gwinnett and other area counties – and also a member-owner of Green Power EMC. The clean energy was generated by the 52-megawatt South Loving solar facility located in Jeff Davis County, Georgia.

"Georgia's EMCs are committed to serving their consumers with a diverse portfolio of reliable, cost-effective and environmentally responsible energy, and solar power has become an increasingly important part of their strategy," said Green Power EMC President Jeff Pratt. "Together, we are proud to support GeorgiaFIRST in such a meaningful way. Georgia's EMCs are providing renewable energy generated right here in our state to help power educational opportunities for the next generation of Georgia leaders."

To power the events with renewable energy, Cobb EMC, Flint Energies and Jackson EMC provided Renewable Energy Certificates to GeorgiaFIRST for the energy required to charge the students' robots.