Why Minnesota’s Community Solar Program is the Best
Minnesota’s community solar program hit 688 megawatts in May 2020, enough to power more than 100,000 homes each year or about half as much capacity as a typical nuclear power plant!… Read More
Why it’s Short-Sighted to do Centralized Planning in a Decentralizing Electricity Grid
With financial rewards tied to building big, utilities overlook distributed energy resources like rooftop solar. This essay, written to advise utility regulators in Michigan, has implications for utility resource planning nationwide.… Read More
D.C. Neighbors Unite to Fight for Solar Rights for All — Episode 103 of Local Energy Rules Podcast
In this episode of the Local Energy Rules podcast, host John Farrell speaks with Yesenia Rivera of United Neighbors. The two take a deep dive into the mission and success of SUN in expanding solar access for all in D.C.… Read More
National Community Solar Programs Tracker
Sixteen states have policies allowing some form of community renewable energy development. This quarterly update (2019 Q4) shows the capacity built in states with active programs: Colorado, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and New York. It focuses on programs in investor-owned utility service territory.… Read More
Utility Regulators Oversee Planning for a Robust, Inclusive Grid in Minnesota
In these comments, John Farrell outlines how Xcel Energy should improve its 2019 Integrated Distribution Plan to best serve the needs of Minnesota customers: increased access to distributed energy generation and a fair analysis of the benefits these systems provide to the grid.… Read More
Why 30 Million Solar Rooftops Should Be In the Next Relief Bill
As the federal government looks to a second (or even third) stimulus bill, Congress should consider a huge opportunity to pay Americans that pays back: solar rooftops. By investing $450 billion in rooftop solar, the federal government could slash energy bills for Americans, cut air pollution, and create over 3.7 million jobs. The government could also get paid back.… Read More
Fighting for a Better Future: A Statement from ILSR on the Coronavirus Crisis
A statement from John Farrell and Stacy Mitchell, Co-Directors of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, on the COVID-19 pandemic. … Read More
Does Energy Democracy Have Meaning in a Pandemic?
I’m writing this piece from my living room couch, my kids out of school and doing a “home school” schedule while my wife and I try to work. With that in mind, here are a few thoughts about how decentralized and democratized energy systems might help us weather things like the current COVID-19 pandemic.… Read More
Designing a Rooftop Solar Alternative in Sacramento
Although California now requires new residential construction to include solar, the mandate allows community solar subscriptions to substitute. ILSR submitted these comments to the California Energy Commission as it reviewed the first utility-proposed substitute program, Neighborhood SolarShares, by the Sacramento Municipal Utility District.… Read More