In the coming years, as electric vehicle ownership and charging infrastructure grow, communities and the energy system will be transformed. This month, we submitted comments to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission to inform a regulatory process on accommodating the expansion of electric vehicle use.… Read More
This week in Energy Democracy news: All over the U.S. utilities are facing increased energy competition thanks to cheaper renewable alternatives including solar and storage options. Consequently, Utility companies in the midwest are struggling to get new gas plants approved. More on this in John Farrell’s new Solar+Storage Report. In South Carolina, legislators and regulators scramble to find a way forward as residents hit the net metering cap. In New England, states are re-examining subsidies to clean energy and net metering all together.… Read More
Shiloh Temple, a church two miles from downtown Minneapolis, serves more than just the spiritual needs of the community. After a recent update to its roof, this church in North Minneapolis now serves some of the community’s energy needs, as well.
In May, John Farrell visited the rooftop solar garden and interviewed Timothy DenHerder-Thomas, general manager of Cooperative Energy Futures, the cooperatively-owned company that installed the panels. The two discussed final stages of the project, the justice perspective that makes it unique, and other projects Cooperative Energy Futures has in the queue.… Read More
For 100 years, most decisions about the U.S. electric grid have been made at the top by electric utilities, public regulators, and grid operators. That era has ended, and our report details how the collective impact of individual consumers installing solar-plus-storage reverses the flow of power on the electricity grid.… Read More
Using the latest available national data on new power generation through the first quarter of 2018, this recent analysis from ILSR’s Energy Democracy Initiative illustrates how renewable energy and small-scale, distributed solar stack up against utility-scale and fossil fuel power plants in supplying the new electricity capacity for the nation.… Read More
This week in Energy Democracy news: Massachusetts faces a big decision on battery energy storage incentives; Ashland, Oregon boosts electric vehicles in their community; a Colorado program is enabling low-income households to benefit from renewable energy; and Atlanta looks toward a 100% renewable goal, the first from a major city in the Southeast U.S.… Read More
The webinar –– Wednesday, July 18th @ 2 p.m. CT –– will cover the powerful upending of the electricity market structure on the doorstep, the implications for centrally planned power systems, and the policies that align market rules with the democratizing power of solar and energy storage.… Read More
Residents of Athens, Ohio, recently passed a carbon fee ballot initiative that will add 0.2 cents per kilowatt hour to electricity costs. On this episode of Local Energy Rules, Director of the Energy Democracy Initiative John Farrell speaks with UpGrade Ohio’s information and outreach director Mathew Roberts about this first-of-its-kind carbon fee and how a community-run energy utility made it possible.… Read More
This week in Energy Democracy news: Pennsylvania state legislators pass a law to help fund clean energy technologies on commercial and industrial buildings, a great way to support community-owned renewable energy; advocates are planning to ensure electric vehicle benefits are seen by folks of all income levels; and community solar advocates win a victory in New York.… Read More
