The rise of solar power allows a further democratizing of the electricity system, and these charts illustrate how 2014 was a banner year for solar, but particularly distributed solar power. Apologies for the re-post of these charts, but I wanted to do a year-in-review approach to these solar charts. First, the following chart shows that 2014 opened … Read More
Sierra Club – Nov/Dec 2014 One of the things that makes greenwashing possible is the structure of the American media. Reporters have an instinctive affection for the unexpected or counterintuitive, so when the press release from Walmart arrives pledging to shift to 100 percent renewable energy and touting the solar panels on the roofs of some … Read More
This week in democratic energy, media reports discussed solar developments across the states. ILSR’s recent report, Beyond Utility 2.0 to Energy Democracy, was covered in Utility Dive. Herman K. Trabish writes: “From integrating more distributed generation to pushing electric vehicle chargers and home energy advising, 2014 has seen a number of utilities making big changes to … Read More
Renewable energy continues to grow substantially in the U.S. and in 2014 it remains a large portion of new power plant capacity – 30% or more through the first three quarters. Often overlooked, distributed solar on residential and commercial property is making up a substantial share of new electrical generating capacity. The following chart illustrates the … Read More
This week in democratic energy, media reports covered South Carolina’s net metering deal, Minnesota’s Solar Rewards Community program, and more. From Switchboard, the Natural Resources Defense Council Staff Blog, Pierre Bull discussed a recent report that highlights which states excel and which states lag in promoting solar. Bull writes: “Knowledge is power, or at least the … Read More
Electricity customers in the U.S. got good news last week. A new report from Accenture highlighted a potential revenue loss for U.S. utilities of $48 billion per year by 2025 due to distributed solar and energy efficiency. But where does that money go? If we pursue a democratic energy system as outlined in ILSR’s new report … Read More
2014 marked the year that solar energy, energy storage and electric vehicles – hallmarks of a decentralized electricity grid – got big enough to threaten the electric utilities, exposing their 100-year-old business model as out-of-date. In nearly 20 states, utilities are fighting back, proposing new fees and rules to minimize the competition from customer generated power. … 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 … Read More
Over the last two weeks in democratic energy, media reports discussed a serious threat to Minneapolis’ recent city-utility partnership, why conservatives are embracing solar, and more. ILSR’s own John Farrell was cited in Utility Dive, in Robert Walton’s article, “Will Santa Fe be the next city to municipalize its electric utility?” Walton reports: “John Farrell, director … Read More
