Why it’s Short-Sighted to do Centralized Planning in a Decentralizing Electricity Grid

Date: 11 May 2020 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

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

Voices of 100%: Michigan City Sets Steady Pace to a Clean Electricity Goal — Episode 102 of Local Energy Rules Podcast

Date: 22 Apr 2020 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

For this episode of our Voices of 100% series of the Local Energy Rules Podcast, host John Farrell speaks with Amy Shamroe and Tim Werner. They talk about the city’s optimistic, yet pragmatic plan for clean energy in Traverse City.… Read More

Electricity

*John Farrell is a Co-Director of ILSR and directs the Energy Democracy Initiative. July 2020 As the U.S. faces intersecting crises — particularly climate change and racial and economic inequality — concentrated power in the electricity sector obstructs progress in providing Americans with clean, safe, and cost-effective electricity. While this can be true of any type … Read More

Fighting Monopoly Power: How States and Cities Can Beat Back Corporate Control and Build Thriving Communities

Across the country, local and state officials and citizens are struggling to overcome a set of deep and challenging problems, which have been further revealed, and exacerbated, by Covid. These include stark inequality, persistent poverty, disappearing small businesses, racial oppression, failing family farms, fraying community institutions, and entire cities and towns that have been marginalized and left … Read More

America’s Monopoly Problem: Why It Matters and What We Can Do About It

*Stacy Mitchell is a Co-Director of ILSR and directs our Independent Business Initiative. Susan R. Holmberg is Senior Editor and Researcher on the Independent Business team, as well as an economist. Special thanks to Ron Knox and Zach Freed for their contributions. July 2020 Covid-19 has laid bare fractures in our society that have been deepening … Read More

Report: An Alternative to Electricity Monopolies Enables Communities to Center People and Planet

Date: 19 Feb 2020 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

This report examines community choice energy, a policy giving cities and counties the right to purchase energy on behalf of electricity customers. Enabled in 9 states, community choice agencies are revolutionizing the utility model by offering cheaper, cleaner energy that aligns with local goals.… Read More

Voices of 100%: When 100% Renewable Electricity Isn’t Enough, Burlington Targets Net Zero — Episode 90 of Local Energy Rules Podcast

Date: 20 Nov 2019 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States, Podcast | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

In this episode of our Voices of 100% series from Local Energy Rules, host John Farrell speaks with two leaders in Burlington, Vermont, about the completed 100% renewable electricity transition. Mayor Miro Weinberger and Darren Springer, general manager of Burlington Electric, explain how the city now looks ahead to “net zero.”… Read More

Customers Pay When Big Utilities Make Big Errors In Electricity Forecasts

Date: 25 Jul 2019 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

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

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