Energy Articles and Commentaries

Utility Fights Dirty in City's Battle for Clean Local Energy

jfarrell — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 16:23:37 -0500

In
just three weeks, citizens of Boulder, CO, will vote on whether to
begin a big, formal process to unplug from Xcel Energy’s system and
plug into local energy self-reliance. The vote to form a municipal
electric utility could set a precedent for communities across the
United States to keep millions of dollars local instead of sending them
to remote electric utilities each year.

At every turn, the utility has stalled local efforts.

Local Solar Power is Best (Infographic)

jfarrell — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 14:28:27 -0500

Local solar power hits the sweet spot of cost-effectiveness and economic value for communities. The best approach for expanding energy is local mid-size projects.

Click through to see our new infographic, illustrating the optimal size for solar, it’s out-sized impact in generating power, and the enormous economic benefits of local solar power.

About ILSR's Energy Work

jfarrell — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 15:23:33 -0500

If you've ever wondered how to explain to someone what ILSR brings to renewable energy policy, look no further. This 16-slide presentation lays out our history, philosophy and out-sized impact fighting for greater local authority and economic returns from renewable energy:

Could California Save 30% or More on Solar With German Policy?

jfarrell — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 13:59:02 -0500

The Golden State has covered over 50,000 roofs with solar PV in the past decade, but could it also save 30% or more on its current solar costs? It turns out switching energy policies could save ratepayers billions.

If 2011 is a banner year and the state sees 1 gigawatt (GW) of installed capacity, the savings to ratepayers of a CLEAN program (over 20 years) would be nearly $3 billion.

How Community Ownership Can Save Wind Power

admin — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 13:41:33 -0500

Wind power has expanded rapidly in recent years, but the new wind farms have a common characteristic: absentee ownership. These large wind farms promise a broad expansion of clean energy production, but not a commensurate expansion in local economic benefits.

Without a say or stake in the turbines remaking their local skyline, communities have raised red flags. The result is more restrictive wind siting policies and opposition to new high-voltage transmission lines that may carry wind power from remote areas to major cities.

There’s an alternative.

Europe Leads on Decentralized Renewables, but Lags on Effective Building Retrofits

jfarrell — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 15:00:18 -0500

Decentralized renewable energy doesn’t top the climate and energy agenda in Europe or the United States, but for very different reasons. In Europe, there has already been substantial development of decentralized renewable energy, and policy makers have moved on to discussions of 100% renewable energy. In the United States, by contrast, well-heeled interest groups tend to dominate renewable energy discourse, and American energy policy reflects their paradigm of centralized generation dependent on high-voltage transmission lines.

Lenders Have it Wrong and PACE Advocates Should Fight Back

jfarrell — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 07:31:09 -0500

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) issued guidance yesterday that drew a line in the sand against municipal energy financing, a.k.a. Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) programs. These innovative initiatives provide energy efficiency retrofits for homeowners that are repaid through a property tax assessment. Since homeowners falling behind on payments must repay their PACE assessment before their mortgage, giant lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will consider participating households in default on their mortgages for receiving an energy efficiency retrofit via PACE. Their rationale is paper thin.

Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) makes partners of solar PV and energy efficiency

jfarrell — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 09:30:50 -0500

Property assessed clean energy (PACE) does not make energy efficiency the enemy of solar PV. Instead, it helps optimize the use of solar PV for participating property owners so that an optimally sized solar PV array that is partially paid for through the energy savings from efficiency improvements.

The State of the States: Power From the People

jfarrell — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:55:09 -0500

In the absence of federal action, states are leading the way toward renewable energy, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and empowering local communities to be more energy self-reliant. This presentation to the Environmental Grantmakers Association highlights the model policies for moving forward.

Instead of Cap and Trade, Cap and Dividend

dmorris — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 10:56:50 -0600

A new and vastly improved climate change policy has come out of nowhere to capture the imagination of state and national policymakers: "Cap and dividend." It works like this: Step one, impose a carbon cap. Step two, auction off all carbon allowances. Step three, return most of (if not all) the revenues generated to all households on a per capita basis.