The following presentation outlines a 10% solar energy standard to be considered by the Minnesota legislature in early 2013. It would require utilities to supply 10% of their energy sales from solar electricity – largely local, distributed solar. It provides long-term, standard contracts to solar projects with a value of solar production-based price and a production … Read More
Suddenly everyone knows about Germany’s solar power dominance because Fox Newsheads made an ass of themselves, suggesting that the country is a sunny, tropical paradise. Most media folks have figured out that there are some monster differences in policy (e.g. a feed-in tariff), but then latch on to the “Germans pay a lot extra” meme. Germans … Read More
Following up on his “Solar for All” piece in the current issue of Sierra Magazine, Paul Rauber interviews his “solar guru,” ILSR Senior Researcher John Farrell, on the future of community solar. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQcIX3bGTBo]
A 5-minute video explaining CLEAN Contracts (a.k.a. feed-in tariffs) in simple terms. It’d be great if it used a name for the policy that’s in common circulation, but since I was guilty of using Renewable Energy Payments, too, I shouldn’t complain. [vimeo 11553961 w=500 h=281] How Renewable Energy Payments (REPs) Work. from Chris Neidl on Vimeo.
Minneapolis, MN —Within a decade, more than 35 million buildings may be generating their own solar electricity (without subsidies) at prices lower than their utility offers, sufficient to power almost 10% of the country.
That’s the powerful headline from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance’s latest report, Commercial Rooftop Revolution. Despite the opportunity, utilities, regulators, and policy markers are largely unprepared for the surge of local solar power.
eTopia, November 19, 2012 An eTopia News interview with ILSR Senior Researcher John Farrell. John describes how renewable energy, by its nature, decentralizes the generation of energy and that the dispersion of power generation means local ownership is a natural complement to renewable energy, expanding both its economic and political impact. Click below to watch the … Read More
Friend and renewable energy journalist Osha Gray Davidson released a book today called Clean Break, detailing the German Energiewende (translation: energy change). It’s a story of how the Germans systematically shifted to clean energy, finding as they proceeded that the possibilities were greater, the costs lower, and the benefits for ordinary citizens more prodigious than anyone … Read More
Last week the Minnesota Public Utility Commission had a rare live public comment period on Xcel Energy’s long term planning process (called an Integrated Resource Plan). At the urging of several fellow clean energy advocates, I gave my 3 minute testimony about the enormous gulf between Xcel’s 10-year plan for solar power and the solar opportunity. … Read More
This short presentation distills the definition and status of U.S. CLEAN (“feed-in tariff”) programs given in our full report. Click below to watch the slideshow. U.S. CLEAN Programs – 1.21 Gigawatts! from John Farrell You can also read the full report in PDF, or get it for Kindle, Nook, or your Apple iDevice.
