24 Apr 2009

If it’s citizens vs. utilities, utilities win

by | Date: 24 Apr 2009 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States, From the Desk of David Morris, The Public Good | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

The PUC has an approval process that stacks the deck against the public.

A few days ago the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) approved a massive high voltage transmission project (known as CapX) that will cost Minnesotans an amount equal to the projected biennium state budget deficit and four times the total bill to taxpayers for the Gopher and Twins stadiums. 

… Read More
22 Apr 2009

Distributed Renewables Can Defer Infrastructure Investments

by | Date: 22 Apr 2009 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

This recent article by the Manager of EPRI published on EnergyCentral.com discusses how conventional photovoltaic (PV) applications can act as distributed resources when the sun is shining — rather than solely as a reduction in load. They also can help diversify supply portfolios and meet other goals. The most basic scenario is for utilities to aggregate grid-connected PV installations owned by others and to treat them as demand-side resources.

… Read More
17 Apr 2009

CapX Transmission Line Decision Ignored Current Economic Realities

by | Date: 17 Apr 2009 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States, Press Release | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

The Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) and the North American Water Office (NAWO) find today’s decision by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to approve nearly $2 billion in ratepayer money for 650 miles of new high voltage transmission lines (known as CapX) to be willfully shortsighted.  The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission’s decision represents a slap in the face to Minnesota ratepayers and deals another setback for building a homegrown, decentralized energy future.
… Read More
14 Apr 2009

Report: Feed-in Tariffs in America

by | Date: 14 Apr 2009 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 1 Facebooktwitterredditmail

There’s a renewable energy policy with a record of incredible success, so why aren’t we using it in America?  Our April 2009 paper briefly explores the history of feed-in tariffs (FITs) in Europe – the rise and fall of this policy in Denmark and the rise and rise of FITs in Germany – and then outlines why it would be a much simpler, more cost-effective, and better economic driver for reaching America’s renewable energy goals.

American renewable energy policy consists of a byzantine mix of tax incentives, rebates, state mandates, and utility programs.  The complexity of the system results in more difficult and costly renewable electricity generation, and hampers the ability of states and communities to maximize the benefits of their renewable energy resources.

… Read More
6 Feb 2009

Obama’s Plan to Help Renewable Energy May Backfire and Aid Big Coal

by | Date: 6 Feb 2009 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States, From the Desk of David Morris, The Public Good | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Obama’s plan for a "national smart grid" needs closer examination. An expanded national grid would be anything but smart. In the New York Times, Al Gore insists the new president should give the highest priority to "the planning and construction of a unified national smart grid. "President Barack Obama, responding to a question by MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, declares that one of "the most important infrastructure projects that we need is a whole new electricity grid … a smart grid."

… Read More
5 Feb 2009

Tax Reform and Community Based Renewable Energy

by | Date: 5 Feb 2009 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Tax Reform and Community Based Renewable Energy By John Farrell, originally published in Renewable Energy World, February 5, 2009 The federal tax credits for renewable energy have been a major barrier to widespread ownership of renewable energy. The production tax credit, for example, can only be taken against passive income, a type of income that very … Read More
27 Jan 2009

Feed-in Tariffs for Renewable Energy

by | Date: 27 Jan 2009 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Vermont, Oregon, Gainesville, FL, and the Canadian province of Ontario have recently adopted feed-in tariffs for renewable energy, allowing any prospective renewable energy producer will get a guaranteed connection to the grid, a long term contract to sell their power, and a fixed price sufficient to recover their costs plus a reasonable profit. We believe that feed-in tariffs could turbocharge state level renewable electricity standards, reduce costs, and spread the economic benefits across many more project owners.

… Read More
14 Jan 2009

Green Citizenship vs. Green Pricing

by | Date: 14 Jan 2009 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States, From the Desk of David Morris, The Public Good | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Green pricing requires a few customers to pay a substantial premium for relatively little power. A much better way for consumers to increase the supply of renewable energy is to exercise "green citizenship." If a significant majority of the customers of a given utility vote for green energy, the utility can purchase a larger amount of renewables and spread the costs over its entire customer base. Often 10 times the amount of green electricity can be purchased at a fraction of the cost for an individual household.… Read More

1 … 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 … 153