MOULTRIE — A candidate for Public Service Commission educated the Moultrie Rotary Club about various energy sources at the club’s meeting Tuesday.

Attorney Rick Collum of Moultrie, a Republican candidate for Public Service Commission, District 1, said everyone agrees something needs to be done about energy. With everyone, regardless of political party affiliation or social standing, the energy crisis can be resolved, he said.

“When there’s an issue we have to address,” Collum said, “we do so much better when we come together.”

Energy needs cannot be met with only one or two solutions, Collum said; every piece of the puzzle is needed. He discussed several ways to generate and create energy, such as nuclear power, natural gas and coal.

One of the easiest and cheapest way to create energy is through biomass energy production, Collum said. A Coolidge company is making use of biomass energy that is leading the way for others.

“Hurst Boiler is one of the most innovative producers of biomass energy,” Collum said. “It makes a boiler that runs on cow manure and uses that power supply during non-peak hours.”

Collum said America and Georgia have the technology right now to use biomass as a legitimate alternative to fossil fuels. The time is now to make use of all the alternative means of energy to help reduce America’s need for foreign supplies.

“We’ve got to do something now to meet our demand for energy,” Collum said. “By 2010, we can have our energy needs met by biomass energy.”

Biomass energy can be beneficial for Southwest Georgia for several reasons, Collum said. It will help reshape the state’s infrastructure, help meet the state’s power needs and is renewable. South Georgia contains most of the state’s biomass produce available, including pine trees, which can be used to produce gasoline.

When asked about the use of wind farming, Collum said it can be useful but is better suited for the Western United States. The South’s wind is not near as great as winds that blow out West, and it is more expensive than nuclear power.