St. Peter, Minn., home to 11 thousand people, is nestled within the verdant hills of the Minnesota River Valley. The town was originally intended to be the state capital of Minnesota, until a legislator named “Jolly” Joe Rolette nabbed the bill and hid it from the governor’s awaiting signature. Unflappable, the city would play its own part in … Read More
Andy Johnson works with the soil. When younger, he served in Peace Corps in Central America for three years, working on conservation practices. Then he worked in the Natural Resource Conservation Service for years, the same agency that his father Paul Johnson headed by appointment from Bill Clinton in 1993. After moving back to northeast Iowa in 2007, he started farming christmas trees and grass-fed beef cows, but thinking about how the concept of conservation applied to his community’s energy use and economy.… Read More
This week in Energy Democracy: The story of a Microgrid in Brooklyn, learning how ComEdison took aim at a solar power law in Chicago, and, finally, another week, another set of ballot initiatives on the solar energy debate. Featured Stories: Sharply higher rooftop solar potential increases potential for energy self-reliance by John Farrell, CleanTechnica A Microgrid … Read More
This report explores the opportunity of community renewable energy to enable energy democracy, examining the benefits and barriers, barrier-busting policies, powerful examples, and how cities and cooperatives can lead the way.… Read More
The Investor Responsibility Research Center Institute just released a report analyzing the top 25 U.S. investor-owned electric utilities, and one of the highlights is that these 25 largest utilities collectively spent over $400 million of money (from their ratepayers) lobbying in the past four years. In many cases, this involved lobbying against net metering, renewable energy standards, or incentives for solar energy.
What could that money have bought if instead spent on the things that most electric customers want, such as solar energy?… Read More
Rhode Island established its Community Renewables Program in 2016 and expanded it in 2018 through a net metering tariff. This post summarizes the policy and compiles Rhode Island community solar resources.… Read More
In April of 2016, the Scientific American cited our report on the benefits of microgrids for renewable energy arrays and community-based renewable energy. This article details a microgrid pilot program in Brooklyn, New York and the way that it is enabling a low-cost switch to renewables.… Read More
One such model is offered by Cooperative Energy Futures. It launched in Minneapolis in 2009 under the leadership of Timothy DenHerder-Thomas (pictured, left), offering members energy efficiency upgrades and renewable energy installations on their own property. Now, thanks in part to a 2013 state law, they’re offering members an opportunity to “own” a share of a community solar garden atop a North Minneapolis church.
In September 2015, DenHerder-Thomas stopped by ILSR’s studio to talk with John Farrell about the Shiloh Temple Community Solar Garden, and what community-owned power means for the energy industry and everyday people.… Read More
This week in Energy Democracy: We get the details on the policies blocking Microgrids implementation, learn about how Massachusetts raises their net metering cap but lowers reimbursement rate, and how we have the power for 100% renewable energy. Featured Sharply higher rooftop solar potential increases potential for energy self-reliance by John Farrell, CleanTechnica Critics say Puerto Rico … Read More
