Sky Stanfield discusses how good interconnection policy and proactive grid planning can capitalize on existing distribution infrastructure for the most cost-effective clean energy transition.… Read More
Justin Baca and David Gahl discuss how an information gap trips up small solar developers. They also explain their letter to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, which asks for more federal data collection from electric utilities and transmission operators.… Read More
Today the Institute for Local Self-Reliance was joined by joined by 24 utility justice, consumer advocate, and environmental organizations in submitting comments urging the Energy Information Administration to incorporate interconnection and utility shutoffs data.… Read More
Delays connecting local solar to the electric grid slow the growth of clean energy. We need more data to figure out if utilities are blocking solar on purpose to protect their monopoly power.… Read More
A new report shows how electric utilities and policymakers are creating unexpected delays and added costs for solar projects and slowing the growth of local solar, based on our first ever survey of solar developers.… Read More
How do states help or hinder local progress toward renewable energy? ILSR’s Community Power Map illustrates the ways, with an interactive interface that received a refresh this week. The companion to the annual Community Power Scorecard, the map highlights state policies like community solar and community choice energy that enable local clean energy deployment. It also shows the impacts of those policies by listing where projects have been developed, where communities have made 100% renewable energy commitments, and where communities have taken charge of their energy systems.… Read More
Determining exactly how much local renewable generation can reach Xcel Energy customers in Minnesota hinges in part on how many of these projects the existing grid can accommodate. To that end, the state’s Public Utilities Commission compelled the utility last year to report on more than 1,000 “feeders” delivering electricity to homes and businesses across its … Read More
Hawai’an solar advocates are celebrating this week after the island state’s largest utility, Hawai’ian Electric (HECO) filed a plan with the public utility commission to take a “proactive approach” to adding more distributed solar to their grid system. Utilities across the country typically use “conservative blanket limits” on the amount of renewable energy allowed on local … Read More
Many people expect that solar power will dramatically expand once it bursts through the cost barrier and becomes less expensive than grid electricity. But archaic utility rules can effectively cap local solar development at just 15% of peak demand. Fortunately, pioneering states like Hawaii and California are exploring ways to lift the cap and bring utility … Read More
