German utility creating a “swarm” of combined-heat-and-power plants

Date: 21 Oct 2010 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

This initiative was announced in September 2009 with the goal of using 100,000 household-sized combined-heat-and-power gas units to provide grid electricity and home heat. The units would provide enough power to supplant two nuclear power plants. The video about the project was released (in English) just recently:

 

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Distributed Energy First, Wait On New Transmission Lines

Date: 28 Apr 2008 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

A debate between advocates of distributed and centralized renewable energy systems is just beginning. It is overdue. Consideration of scale in renewable energy systems has been delayed in part because we first had to bring solar energy in all its forms to market, and in part because the distributed nature of renewable energy resources seemed inexorably to lead to their being harnessed in distributed fashion.

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Carbon Caps With Universal Dividends: Equitable, Ethical & Politically Effective Climate Policy

Date: 28 Jan 2008 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States, Press Release | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

A new policy brief from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance concludes that universal dividends are a critically important tool to create the political will and public acceptance for a carbon cap. Universal dividends have the potential to hold harmless a large segment of consumers while we move to a low-carbon economy. Moreover, the universal dividend honors the principle that the sky belongs to all of us equally.… Read More

Los Angeles Uses Municipal Utility For GHG Reduction Targets

Date: 23 May 2007 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

In mid-May, Los Angeles’ Mayor announced a new climate change action plan that calls for the LA municipal utility to increase its renewable energy portfolio to reach 35 percent by 2020. This in combination with about 50 other proposed actions will work to reduce GHG emissions in the city of angels to 35 percent below 1990 levels by 2030.

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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

Distributed Generation Benefits Outlined in New DOE Report

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

The Energy Policy Act of 2005 required that DOE, in consultation with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), conduct a study of the potential benefits of cogeneration and small power production. The final report, The Potential Benefits of Distributed Generation and Rate Related Issues that May Impede Their Expansion, is now open for public comment until April 30, 2007.

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Moving Beyond What Al Gore’s Told You About Global Warming

Date: 18 Jan 2007 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

A recent column by David Morris published on Alternet provides a review of George Monbiot’s new book Heat: How to Stop the Planet from Burning. The book picks up where Al Gore left off on global warming, offering real solutions without sugar-coating the large personal sacrifices they will require.

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IREC Offers Quick Access to State Level Net Metering and Interconnection Proceedings

Date: 28 Dec 2006 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

The Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC), a group that has long been been tracking state-level developments related to net metering and distributed generation interconnection activities, has released its first monthly summary of state-level activities required under the federal Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct 2005).

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