I’m visiting the wonderful folks from Sustainable Tucson in Arizona next week to talk about the opportunities that solar and clean energy offer their local economy. In preparation, I’m looking at their current monopoly electricity provider, Tucson Electric Power. Remarkably, the utility acquires just 4% of its electricity from renewable resources (and over 70% from coal), … Read More
Exciting changes are on the horizon for our century-old utility structure as solar power, energy storage, and electric vehicles open new avenues for utility customers to produce their own power and control their energy use. Utilities are scrambling to remain relevant in this technological firestorm, and energy wonks are envisioning a new business model––Utility 2.0––that keeps … Read More
In my recent report on the utility business model of the future, I laid out 5 pillars of a democratic energy system. It’s hard not to notice the contrast between this vision of the future and the 15-year business plan laid out by Xcel Energy in Minnesota, the incumbent monopoly serving about half the state’s electric … Read More
At a Minnesota Solar Energy Industries Association conference in November 2014, ILSR’s Director of Democratic Energy John Farrell tilted with Xcel Energy’s Rick Evans about the state’s dormant value of solar policy and whether it was likely to be adopted in the near future. Click the following links to see some of the biggest questions and … Read More
Santa Fe, NM, is battling with its electric utility, PNM, over the utility’s continued heavy reliance on large-scale fossil fuel power plants in a state with some of the best sun and wind resources in the country. Director of Democratic Energy John Farrell joined Santa Fe City Councilor Patti Bushee to discuss options for Santa Fe’s … Read More
This week in democratic energy, the president’s acknowledgement of solar progress, global climate change, science (!), and the growing economic gap in our country means there’s never be a better time to support keeping our energy dollars local. Lyn Davis Learn’s short video on Huffington Post this week highlighted just how much 3-minutes can do for … Read More
What can we expect from the first-in-the-nation clean energy partnership between the City of Minneapolis and its electric and gas utilities? Check out this video conversation from a November 2014 MNSEIA conference in Minnesota with the utilities, the city, and the lead grassroots organization about the history, the agreement, and the hopes for this novel partnership. … Read More
The U.S. electricity system is undergoing the biggest change in its 130-year history, undermining the rationale for monopoly ownership and control. Until recently, electricity service was similar to water or roads, where a natural monopoly was most efficient. Only a single, standardized electric grid was needed to connect each building. Technology options were limited to steam-powered … Read More
This week in democratic energy, community solar projects are predicted to rule 2015 and net metering policies are opening the market for a brighter future. Jeff St. John started us off with why he thinks 2014 could be dubbed the year of the “smart grid.” From building on the prior wave of investment in AMI networks [advanced … Read More
