Electricity

Communities in California have been trying to become more energy self-reliant for nearly 10 years, but not a single one has managed to establish a "community choice aggregation" (CCA) network despite a state law requiring incumbent utilities to "cooperate fully."  Only four states have CCA laws on the books – Ohio, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and California.  Most have only a single CCA; California has none.  There's a reason. Incumbent electric utilities aren't big fans of CCAs.  Read the full story over on our Energy Self Reliant States web site

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Toby Couture is one of the pre-eminent experts on cost-effectiveness of renewable energy policies and his comparative analysis of auctions (such as California recently adopted for distributed generation) and CLEAN Contracts (a.k.a. feed-in tariffs) is a must-read.  Read the full story over at our Energy Self Reliant States web site. More

In less than a month, solar energy projects will see the stimulus-funded cash grant in lieu of the 30 percent tax credit expire.  The change back to tax-credit-financed projects provides a revealing look at the disadvantages of energy incentives based on the tax code.  See what our energy blogger, John Farrel, has to say about this development and the recent news coverage about it. Read the full post over at our Energy Self Reliant States web site.  More

Unlike many cities, Portland, Maine, has forged ahead with a significant energy efficiency plan without federal stimulus dollars.  Simply borrowing money through bonding and investing in energy saving improvements, the city will - over 20 years - reduce operating costs by $700,000 per year and shrink its carbon footprint by 30 percent. Our favorite quote from the news story: "We are spending money to save money," Councilor John M. Anton told critics. "And we are borrowing at historically low interest rates. This is good fiscal management on the city's part."  Bravo. More

An article in the New York Times last week suggested that a dearth of financing is holding back solar power in the United States. In particular, the authors note that “the country needs to build large plants covering hundreds of acres,” projects that can cost $1 billion. These large solar projects are languishing without financing, they assert, in part because of the lengthy process to claim federal government loan guarantees and because “Bankers generally prefer smaller, less risky projects and shorter-term loans than the 20-year terms solar plants typically need.” More

A new study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) reinforces the findings of a 2009 report by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR).  The ILSR report, Energy Self-Reliant States, concluded that all 50 states could generate at least 25 percent of their electricity needs from in-state renewable energy while 31 could generate over 100 percent.  More

A legislative proposal in Connecticut would cut their existing renewable portfolio standard nearly in half but prioritize in-state generation.  Backers of the rollback say that renewable energy is mainly bought from outside the state to meet the current standard. The change in the RPS boosts financing tools for in-state power as part of the plan.  One interesting quote, "we want projects, not simply percentages." More

In the last 12 months a new and very promising strategy for local energy self-reliance has emerged, and it spreading like a prairie fire:  direct public financing of energy efficiency and renewable energy investments by private businesses and households.  ILSR has been closely tracking these developments and has brought together information about individual programs and the laws and ordinances that have enabled them (view our Map and see the various Municipal Energy Financing rules).
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