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Article filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | No Comments | Updated on Aug 15, 2017

Energy and Policy Institute Exposes Three Ways Electric Utilities Stomp Innovation and Competition

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at https://ilsr.org/energy-and-policy-institute-exposes-three-ways-electric-utilities-stomp-innovation-and-competition/

If you work to secure Americans’ rights to solar energy or to accelerate the deployment of inexpensive renewable energy, you understand that not everyone is in favor. In particular, incumbent electric utilities tend to oppose competition in their (often monopoly) share of the electricity market. Where competition exists, it is plagued by unfairness. Below, we… Continue reading

Featured Article filed under Energy, Energy Self-Reliant States | Written by John Farrell | No Comments | Updated on Jul 24, 2017

Three Forces Fighting Local Renewable Energy and Three Ways to Fight Back

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at https://ilsr.org/3-forces-fighting-local-renewable-energy/

If you’re reading energy news of late, you might have come across three new ways that forces are aligning against local renewable energy. State governments are increasingly pre-empting local authority on a range of issues, including energy. Utility companies are undercutting state regulation with their legislative lobbyists. And utilities are also bringing their monopoly market power to bear in previously competitive markets.

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Article filed under Broadband | Written by Lisa Gonzalez | No Comments | Updated on Mar 17, 2017

Another Anti-Muni Hack Job: Alabama Mayor Strikes Back

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at https://ilsr.org/another-anti-muni-hack-job-alabama-mayor-strikes-back/

Mayor Gary Fuller won’t tolerate lies about his city. In a recent Opelika City News release titled, Setting the Record Straight – Response to Yellowhammer article, Mayor Fuller corrected the numerous misleading errors in a piece written by Jordan LaPorta. The Yellowhammer article covered a Taxpayer’s Protection Alliance Foundation (TPA) report, filled with errors and… Continue reading

Article filed under Broadband | Written by Lisa Gonzalez | No Comments | Updated on Feb 27, 2017

Rock Falls, Illinois: The Future Is In Fiber

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at https://ilsr.org/rock-falls-illinois-the-future-is-in-fiber/

The community of Rock Falls, Illinois, is well on its way to developing a gigabit municipal network to offer better connectivity to residents, businesses, and public facilities. Last week, the City Council adopted an ordinance that allows the city to issue general obligation bonds to fund citywide fiber-optic Internet infrastructure. Following Demand The city’s plan… Continue reading

Article filed under Broadband | Written by Lisa Gonzalez | No Comments | Updated on Feb 23, 2017

Greeneville, TN: Electric Utility Powers Up School Internet Connectivity

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at https://ilsr.org/greeneville-tn-electric-utility-powers-up-school-internet-connectivity/

Greenville City Schools (GCS), which obtains Internet access via the state’s Education Networks of America (ENA), used to obtain cable connections from big providers that worked with ENA. Comcast and CenturyLink are two of the local providers that lease lines to the schools with ENA as the entity that arranged the connections. Not anymore.

GCS, ENA, and the Greeneville Light & Power System (GLPS) have entered into a new partnership to use GLPS fiber-optic infrastructure to bring Internet access to school facilities. As a result, the school will cut telecommunications costs by approximately $50,000 per year and double their capacity. Continue reading

Article filed under Energy, Energy Self-Reliant States | Written by Karlee Weinmann | No Comments | Updated on Nov 2, 2016

Grassroots Group Promotes Local Alternatives to Wisconsin Utilities’ Big Ticket Spending

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at https://ilsr.org/grassroots-group-promotes-local-alternatives-to-wisconsin-utilities-big-ticket-spending/

Wisconsin’s coal-reliant utilities remain cool to wind and solar despite mounting enthusiasm for renewables. This intransigence places them squarely in the crosshairs of one grassroots group leveraging support from customers and policymakers in order to realign the state’s energy economy with the public good. This is part of a series released in October 2016 for… Continue reading

Article filed under Energy, Energy Self-Reliant States | Written by John Farrell | No Comments | Updated on Sep 14, 2016

Could A 40-Year-Old Law Let More Customers “Exit” the Grid?

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at https://ilsr.org/can-a-40-year-old-law-let-more-customers-exit-the-grid/

As state regulators restricted the ability of home and business owners in Nevada to receive sufficient compensation for solar on their rooftops, some large companies started looking towards other options. In 2016, at least two major Las Vegas casinos agreed to pay multi-million dollar “exit fees” to leave the service of incumbent monopoly utility NV Energy… Continue reading

Featured Article filed under Energy, Energy Self-Reliant States | Written by Nick Stumo-Langer | No Comments | Updated on Aug 18, 2016

Changing the Language of Renewable Energy, the Electric Monopoly’s Newest Ploy

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at https://ilsr.org/changing-the-language-of-renewable-energy-the-electric-monopolys-newest-ploy/

What happens when utility companies lose ground as their customers cut consumption and seek innovative technologies like rooftop solar? New business ventures to capture customer interest? Other new technologies? Instead, investor-owned utilities (through the Edison Electric Institute trade organization) poured money into communications consultants, and the result of this “Lexicon Project” says volumes about their plans… Continue reading

Article, Resource filed under Energy, Energy Self-Reliant States | Written by Nick Stumo-Langer | No Comments | Updated on Aug 1, 2016

Video: The Shocking Impact of Boring Energy Policy – CommonBound 2016 Conference

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at https://ilsr.org/video-the-shocking-impact-of-boring-energy-policy-commonbound-2016-conference/

On July 9, John Farrell spoke to a group at the CommonBound 2016 Conference. The conference brought hundreds of leaders together to share “visionary strategies for achieving deep systemic change” in areas such as energy policy and economic justice. In this presentation, John detailed the growth of renewable energy and how new technologies and smart… Continue reading

Article, Resource filed under Energy, Energy Self-Reliant States | Written by John Farrell | No Comments | Updated on Jul 28, 2016

Video: Choices Within Monopoly – A Grid of the Future Conversation with Jon Wellinghoff

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at https://ilsr.org/video-choices-within-monopoly-a-grid-of-the-future-conversation-with-jon-wellinghoff/

In November 2015, Jon Wellinghoff, former chair of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, spoke to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission about the grid of the future. In particular, he addressed the issue of giving customers meaningful choices within a monopoly grid model, present in Minnesota and 34 other states. In the following video, he outlines… Continue reading