17 Mar 2016

Listen: John Farrell Gives Plenary Presentation at NESEA – Local Energy Rules Podcast Extra

by | Date: 17 Mar 2016 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States, Podcast | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

ILSR’s John Farrell was a plenary speaker at the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association’s 2016 annual conference in Boston, MA. The conference was held from March 8th through the 10th and focused on advancing the adoption of sustainable energy practices by bringing over 3,500 renewable energy professionals together. John’s opening plenary pinpointed key challenges of our current centralized energy … Read More
15 Mar 2016

Energy Democracy Media Roundup – March 14, 2016

by | Date: 15 Mar 2016 | posted in: Energy | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

This week in Energy Democracy: The ballot fight in Florida is heating up between utility and solar-backed initiatives. Western Wisconsin hosts a community solar garden summit, featuring John Farrell. 5 things you should know about community solar programs. Featured Stories: 5 things you should know about community solar programs by Natacha Kiler, UtilityDive Climate change should … Read More
14 Mar 2016

ILSR’s Distributed Solar Capacity Quarterly Update (2015 Q4)

by | Date: 14 Mar 2016 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

It was the biggest quarter ever for solar, which supplied one-third of over 7.3 gigawatts of new power plant capacity added to the grid. Distributed solar kept pace, with 832 megawatts (AC) added in the last three months of 2015! Important note: in prior versions of this update I made an error, forgetting to covert SEIA’s … Read More
11 Mar 2016

Are Rural Electric Cooperatives Driving or Just Dabbling in Community Solar?

by | Date: 11 Mar 2016 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Electric cooperatives, member-owned organizations that sell electricity to those within their service area, are perhaps the nation’s largest group of utilities that could champion clean, local power. They tend to cover enormous swaths of the most rural territory, often with excellent wind and solar resources. In one manner of renewable energy, cooperatives are leading the fray: … Read More
3 Mar 2016

Microgrids and Regulation with Chris Villarreal – Episode 30 of Local Energy Rules Podcast

by | Date: 3 Mar 2016 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States, Podcast | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

With the release of ILSR’s new report, “Mighty Microgrids,” ILSR is releasing two podcasts with the developers and regulators of microgrids in the United States. This is the second podcast.
In 2014, Chris Villarreal helped write the white paper, Microgrids: A Regulatory Perspective. As a regulatory analyst with the California Public Utilities Commission, he outlined the regulatory questions of microgrid development at a time when the state was mulling over how to allow more distributed, renewable energy come onto the grid.… Read More
3 Mar 2016

Report: Mighty Microgrids

by | Date: 3 Mar 2016 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Communities all over the country are finding ways to break the macro barriers to microgrids. As we flip from a top-down to bottom-up grid management structure, major policy barriers must be lifted in order to expand energy democracy to customers and producers.… Read More
3 Mar 2016

Clean Coalition’s Community Microgrids – Episode 29 of Local Energy Rules Podcast

by | Date: 3 Mar 2016 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Most microgrids today are single buildings that rely on diesel generators to run when the grid is out. They’re simple backup, redundant power.

But some more advanced microgrids, such as the Clean Coalition’s planned community microgrids, are looking into the future, when multiple sources of generation can support a community of homes and businesses.

In anticipation of the release of ILSR’s new report, “Mighty Microgrids,” ILSR is releasing two podcasts with the developers, regulators, and practitioners of microgrids in the United States today. This is the first.… Read More
2 Mar 2016

Energy Democracy Media Roundup – February 29, 2016

by | Date: 2 Mar 2016 | posted in: Energy | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

This week in Energy Democracy:  Palo Alto, California considers a new solar contract under $40 per megawatt hour. Rural electric cooperatives start getting into solar. Big Ohio utilities are prompting the ire of citizens. Featured Stories: FirstEnergy, AEP deals in Ohio prompt 55K protest emails by The Toledo Blade To lease or to own: simplified solar … Read More
22 Feb 2016

Small Ohio Town to Feature Large Distributed Solar and Storage

by | Date: 22 Feb 2016 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Energy storage is the “next charge” for distributed renewable energy, and the small town of Minster, OH, provides a powerful illustration. Committed to building a 3-megawatt (AC) solar facility, the village’s energy department (municipal utility) was blindsided by the state legislature in mid-2014. The state’s energy policy had previously favored purchase of solar from in-state resources, … Read More

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