Minnesota's community solar program hit 613 megawatts in September 2019, enough to power more than 100,000 homes each year or about half as much capacity as a typical nuclear power plant!READ MORE
In the wake of Hurricane Dorian, we revisit our 2018 interview with South Miami Mayor Philip Stoddard – who recently used his own solar and storage to go off of the grid for a week. Could distributed solar be the mechanism for a more resilient electric grid?READ MORE
If solar developers overestimate future electricity prices, some of the predicted savings of a solar system never materialize. This article evaluates the evidence for, and consequences of, these overestimations.READ MORE
In this episode of our Voices of 100% series from Local Energy Rules, Mayor Breea Clark explains what drove Norman, Okla., to make the 100% renewable pledge and its plans to tackle the ambitious goal.READ MORE
On this rebroadcast of the Building Local Power podcast, host John Farrell speaks with Denise Fairchild. The two discuss energy democracy within the context of a book she co-edited, titled "Energy Democracy: Advancing Equity in Clean Energy Solutions."READ MORE
For this episode of our Voices of 100% series of the Local Energy Rules Podcast, host John Farrell talks with Jocelyn Travis, Campaign Manager for the Sierra Club’s Ready for 100 campaign in Cleveland. The two met in Milwaukee at the RE-AMP annual meeting to discuss equity in the clean eREAD MORE
This investigation of electric utility forecasts finds that on average, utilities over-predict electricity demand by 17% over three years. These over-predictions help utilities get permission to build more power plants, which may not be necessary for the actual, deflated electricity demand.READ MORE
In this episode of Local Energy Rules, host John Farrell speaks with Maria Thomas, Outreach and Organizing Coordinator for Soulardarity. The two discussed energy democracy, and Soulardarity’s work in Highland Park, live in Milwaukee at the RE-AMP annual meeting.READ MORE
Four years have passed since ILSR’s initial report on utility-owned rooftop solar and this 2019 update shows small growth but some potentially large repercussions.READ MORE
More than 100 U.S. cities have now set ambitious commitments to transition to renewable energy, but how are they making these goals a reality? In this episode of our Voices of 100% series from Local Energy Rules, we dig into what has given 16 suburbs of Philadelphia an edge overREAD MORE
Nearly 7 gigawatts of new power generation capacity came online in the first quarter of 2019 — 13 percent of which from small-scale solar installations — in the latest update from ILSR’s Energy Democracy Initiative. Renewable resources claimed a majority share of new power generation for the second quarter in a row.READ MORE
More than 100 U.S. cities have now set ambitious commitments to transition to renewable energy, but how are they working to make these goals a reality? In this episode of our Voices of 100% series from Local Energy Rules, we feature the small town of Bloomfield, Iowa, its goal ofREAD MORE
New Mexico's proposed community solar program only passed its state House this year, but the program could set a new standard for community solar in the United States.READ MORE
In this May 2019 interview, ILSR’s Director of Energy Democracy John Farrell, and Ingrid Vila - an engineer and director of Cambio, a Puerto Rico based nonprofit - discussed the enormous opportunity, and the pitfalls the island must avoid, to seize the island's chance for energy democracy.READ MORE
The cost of wind and solar energy keep falling, joined by batteries for energy storage. But while the technology of local grid power has become inexpensive, U.S. development of microgrids has lagged. Trapped by a bankrupt utility, high vulnerability to climate change, and high cost fossil-fueled electricity, Puerto Rico hasREAD MORE
