This week in Democratic Energy: California utilities attempt to reduce residential solar, much to solar company ire. Solar energy amendment fight heading to Florida Supreme Court. Inefficient Ohio utility seeks to save money on coal power by passing the cost onto their customers. Featured Stories: This Ohio utility has an innovative plan to save coal power: … Read More
This week in Democratic Energy: Utilities fight back against Net Metering in Nevada, California & Arizona. Massachusetts communities react to continuation of Net Metering by enacting solar construction. Google launches new webpage to evaluate value of installation of solar tech on your rooftop. Featured Stories: Featured Blog Post: 5 Reasons Utilities are Hating on Their Solar-Producing … Read More
In the past five years, rooftop solar has revealed the limitations of the archaic electric utility business model, as customers have found generating their own power more cost effective than taking 100% of their energy from the incumbent monopoly. For years, utilities have fought back by trying to make competition less cost effective, at a substantial … Read More
The Obama administration released the Clean Power Plan today requiring substantial greenhouse gas emissions reductions from the electricity sector. The plan sets targets from the top down, but largely leaves the details to states, providing a significant opportunity to craft rules that encourage energy development and ownership from the bottom up. These 50 state plans have … Read More
Complete nonsense. The most socialistic thing I’ve ever heard. That’s just two quotes from a value of solar conversation between ILSR’s John Farrell and Karl Rábago of the Pace Energy and Climate Center that took place online on July 8, 2015. More and more people are installing solar, significantly reducing their purchase of electricity from utility … Read More
A new report released this week asserts that utility-scale solar is much more economical than small-scale solar. The clear implication is that we should let incumbent utilities build or buy solar from large-scale arrays instead of allowing customers to generate their own power. There are several reasons to seriously question the mistaken assertion that big solar … Read More
Thanks to Jeff Hoel for providing the transcript for the episode 37 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast with Blair Levin on Gig.U. Listen to this episode here. 00:10: Lisa Gonzalez: Hi, there, and welcome again to the Community Broadband Bits Podcast, from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. I’m Lisa Gonzalez. Christopher Mitchell interviews Blair Levin, … Read More
Thanks to Jeff Hoel for providing the transcript for the episode 131 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. Chris, Lisa, and Rebecca discuss the highlights of the 2014 year. Listen to this episode here. 00:04: Chris Mitchell: Welcome to another Community Broadband Bits Podcast. It’s a Year In Review edition. 00:09: Lisa Gonzalez: Yay! 00:10: Rebecca … Read More
When Robert Nohavec of Park City, Utah; Jabbar Graham from Cherry Hill, New Jersey; and Don Born, of Waldoboro, Maine installed solar on their homes, they had something unexpected in common. They were all giving back to their electric company and their community. That’s because solar energy systems tend to provide more value to the electric … Read More
