Plant Vogtle, co-owned and operated by Southern Company subsidiary Georgia Power, is the largest producer of carbon-free energy in the United States.
Southern Company provides clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy to customers and communities, through its electric utilities in three states, natural gas distribution companies in four states, a competitive generation company, a leading distributed energy distribution company, a fiber optics network and telecommunications services.
The company has a long history of pioneering innovation. It developed the “Early Bird” analog computer system for power dispatch in the 1950s, which was a breakthrough at the time. It also built the first new nuclear units in the United States in more than three decades, and it aims to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
Today’s Southern Company is at the forefront of R&D, and the company is experimenting with novel new energy solutions as it establishes cutting-edge partnerships with emerging clean tech companies across the energy ecosystem.
For the past 15 years, Southern Company has managed the National Carbon Capture Center on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy, supervising more than 150,000 hours of testing for some of the world’s most important technologies in carbon management.
In October of 2023, Southern Company, TerraPower and CORE POWER successfully initiated pumped salt operations at the Integrated Effects Test at TerraPower’s laboratory in Everett, Washington – a significant milestone in the development of Generation IV molten salt reactor technology.
Southern Company is committed to using technology to advance the transition to a carbon-free energy future. Southern Company was a founding investor in Energy Impact Partners (EIP) in 2015, now one of the world’s biggest clean tech funds backed by utilities with over $4 billion in assets under management across six equity funds. By working with startups, Southern Company subsidiaries have developed various innovative solutions that aim to increase their operational efficiency and safety and improve the energy efficiency and affordability for their customers.
- Alabama Power and Georgia Power have collaborated with WeaveGrid to encourage electric vehicle adoption by simplifying home charging, offering streamlined access to electric utility incentives for charging vehicles during off-peak periods, as well as managed charging that optimizes charging for economic and grid benefits. In addition tomonetary incentives, participating customers experience increased visibility into home charging costs through a personalized dashboard, and the ability to optimize savings by choosing to automatically charge at the most cost-effective times.
- Georgia Power and Southern Company Gas have partnered with Urbint to leverage artificial intelligence to protect employees and communities through predictive analysis of potential hazards.
- Through a pilot collaboration with HData, Alabama Power, Georgia Power, Mississippi Power and Southern Company Gas will be the first electric and gas utilities to utilize a revolutionary AI-based software, enabling these companies to improve operational efficiency by monitoring regulatory compliance and risks, and streamlining required regulatory filings.
- Southern Company’s collaboration with Samsung SmartThings aims to enhance energy efficiency and smart-home automation, offering customers affordable solutions to manage energy usage, reduce costs, and lower greenhouse gas emissions. SmartThings will provide customer education and engagement, data and analytics for the Mississippi Power’s Smart Neighborhood project
In 2024, Southern Company also joined Incubatenergy Labs, a program administered by EPRI. Incubatenergy Labs is focused on identifying emerging companies and new energy solutions, facilitating pilot programs with utilities to implement those solutions. As a result of this association, Southern Company is now actively evaluating companies who provide services such as robotic transmission and distribution line inspections, battery monitoring and diagnostic software, predictive maintenance for wind and hydro turbines and nuclear technology licensing.
Southern Company proactively solicits innovative ideas from employees through the company’s Everyday Solutions program, providing an avenue for employees to submit ideas for business improvement while encouraging a culture of innovation and driving growth. In 2023, the company evaluated more than 200 employee-submitted ideas. Since the program’s inception, numerous submissions have been selected for implementation, patent protection and trademark registration.
Southern Company remains at the forefront of delivering sustainable energy solutions. This industry-leading commitment to innovation and creative collaborations will continue to inform our work as we build the future of energy to meet evolving customer needs.
