California Solar Advocates and Legislature Working to Fix TOU Rate Disincentive

Date: 10 May 2007 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Responding to concerns and evidence put forward by solar power companies and advocates, Governor Schwarznegger has pledged to fix a flaw in California’s Solar Initiative that has caused a reported 78 percent drop off in proposed photovoltaic installations in the state.

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Encouraging Energy Conservation Through Inverted Rates – Iowa Utility Tries New Approach

Date: 9 May 2007 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

In early April 2007, Waverly Light and Power’s Board of Trustees approved a new residential rate structure designed to encourage energy conservation by charging customers higher rates as more electricity is used. This "inverted" rate is going into effect only during four summer months beginning July 1, 2007.

WLP, a municipally-owned utility with about 4,500 customers, experiences the highest demand for electricity during summer and is hoping that this program leads to decreased demand for power. The rate structure after July will look like this:

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Report: Distributed Generation and Cogeneration Roadmap

Date: 26 Apr 2007 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

This March 2007 report, Full Report: Report: Distributed Generation and Cogeneration Policy Roadmap for California, from the California Energy Commission provides a nice state-based, how-to perspective on policy options to increase the use of small scale DG along with larger combined heat and power projects.… Read More

IRS Issues Application Guidance on $400 Million Round of Clean Renewable Energy Bonds

Date: 9 Apr 2007 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

On April 2nd, the Internal Revenue Service issued a notice soliciting applicants for the next round of Clean Renewable Energy Bonds allocations. The CREBs program provides governmental entities, municipal and cooperatively owned utilities an incentive to develop renewable energy projects. Ultimately, an interest free financing tool, CREBs are a substitute for renewable energy production tax incentives that these entities are not able to use because of their tax exempt status. Applications must be filed by July 13, 2007.

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Federal Legislation Would Modify and Extend Clean Renewable Energy Bond Program

Date: 6 Apr 2007 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Wash., recently introduced the Clean Renewable Energy for Public Power Act (H.R. 1821), which would extend and reform the Clean Renewable Energy Bond program authorizing government entities, rural cooperatives and municipally-owned electric systems to issue tax-credit bonds for renewable energy projects, as a counterpart to the production tax credit available to investor-owned utilities and other renewable energy project developers.

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Weighing the Economic Impact of Big-Box Development

Date: 5 Apr 2007 | posted in: Retail | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Many local officials would undoubtedly reconsider big-box projects if they knew that a new mega-store would eliminate more jobs than it creates, or that it would cost the city more in public services than it generates in tax revenue . But most cities do not assess the likely economic impacts of retail development. They assume that these stores expand the local economy and approve them blind to the potential costs. Legislation under consideration in Maine would remedy this by stipulating that cities may approve stores over 75,000 square feet only after an independent economic analysis is conducted.… Read More

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