Island Utility Aims for Two-Thirds Renewable Energy by 2020 — Episode 92 of Local Energy Rules Podcast

Date: 4 Dec 2019 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

For this episode of the Local Energy Rules Podcast, host John Farrell speaks with David Bissell, CEO of Kauai Island Utility Cooperative. The two talk about the utility’s renewable energy achievement, the challenges of operating a utility on an island, and how Kauai provides a “postcard from the future” for other U.S. utilities.… Read More

Ballot Initiative Shapes Iowa Town’s Fight for Local Power — Episode 54 of Local Energy Rules Podcast

Date: 25 Apr 2018 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States, Podcast | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

What can a town do to advance clean energy locally if it is fed up with its incumbent, investor-owned monopoly utility? In the latest episode of the Local Energy Rules podcast, John Farrell, Director of ILSR’s Energy Democracy Initiative, interviews Andy Johnson and Joel Zook, community members and local energy leaders from Decorah Power, about an upcoming ballot initiative in Decorah, Iowa, and the culmination of an organized, grassroots effort by residents to take back local control of their electric utility and energy future. In a midterm election year, this is one vote that those who care about local, clean energy will not want to miss.… Read More

Presentation: Iowa Town Looks to City-Owned Utility

Date: 4 Apr 2018 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

ILSR’s Director of Energy Democracy, John Farrell, provided a presentation to a forum of Decorah Power, the local advocacy organization favoring city utility ownership to discuss several advantages from local ownership. First, there’s an abundant local wind and solar energy resource. Second, Decorah isn’t alone, and over 2,000 other cities chart their own course with municipal ownership. Finally, getting power locally returns more dollars to the local economy.… Read More

Dumb and Dumber: Looking Beyond the Department of Energy’s Flawed “Baseload” Study

Date: 24 Aug 2017 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Earlier this summer, the U.S. Department of Energy commissioned a study purportedly about grid reliability. In reality, it’s more likely the study is a fishing expedition searching for ways to buttress fossil fuel contributors to and allies of the Trump administration — folks squeezed by competition from less costly wind and solar power.… Read More

Broadly Sharing the Benefits of “Decarbonization”

Date: 11 Jan 2017 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

After seeing a presentation on “deep decarbonization” outlining necessary changes to the U.S. economy in order to reach our greenhouse gas emission reduction goals, John Farrell discusses some of the nuances of the fascinating elements where we should focus our attention during this clean energy transition.… Read More

Further Thoughts on the Economics of Losing the Federal Solar Tax Credit

Date: 12 Oct 2016 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Amid the discussion over ending the federal solar tax credit in 2015, I published an analysis of the less-than-expected hit to residential solar costs. I made a big mistake. Instead of a 2.5% cost increase, the impact of the expired tax credit would be closer to 13.3%. But a revised and deeper investigation also shows our … Read More

Why Going Local Makes Sense for the Clean Energy Transition

Date: 20 May 2016 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

This is a response to a Forbes commentary published last week, by Steve Cicala In his commentary last week, Steve Cicala fell into a common trap for economists analyzing the electricity system. Touting what economics calls competitive advantage, Mr Cicala suggests we pursue the lowest price by taking cheap solar electricity from the Southwest, wind from … Read More

Public Rooftop Revolution Report: Part 4, “Conclusions”

Date: 4 Jun 2015 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 5 Facebooktwitterredditmail

There are a lot of stories on residential rooftop solar but few if any on what cities are doing to make themselves energy self-reliant by using their own buildings and lands to generate power. In Public Rooftop Revolution, ILSR estimates that mid-sized cities could install as much as 5,000 megawatts of solar—as much as one-quarter of … Read More

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