Solar and wind projects can mean big bucks for communities – but only if they keep them local! Why does ownership of renewable energy matter? Because the number of jobs and economic returns for communities are substantially higher when electricity generation from wind and sun can be captured by local hands. Read Full Advantage Local… Continue reading
Solar and wind projects can mean big bucks for communities – but only if they keep them local! That’s a key takeaway from Advantage Local: Why Local Energy Ownership Matters, a new report from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR). The report shows that local control and ownership of renewable energy gives towns and cities… Continue reading
What can an individual city or town do to fight climate change? A lot! View these slides from a presentation by ILSR’s Director of Democratic Energy John Farrell to the Northfield Climate Summit on January 18, 2014, to see what one small Minnesota town has done, what other steps it can take as part of… Continue reading
Minneapolis, MN (October 7, 2013) – The economy has stalled and so has the war on climate change. But a new report from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance describes how dozens of cities are boosting their local economies while dramatically reducing greenhouse gases. City Power Play: 8 Practical Local Energy Policies to Boost the Economy… Continue reading
The economy has stalled and so has the war on climate change. But dozens of cities are creating jobs and cleaner energy using their own power.
Keeping Energy Dollars Local
- Chattanooga, TN, is adding over $1 billion to its local economy in the next decade by implementing one of the most advanced smart grids and delivering the fastest internet service in the country with its municipal utility.
- Sonoma County, CA, has created nearly 800 local jobs retrofitting over 2,000 properties for energy savings with city-based financing.
- Babylon, NY, has re-purposed a solid waste fund to finance retrofits for 2% of the city’s homes, saving residents an average of $1,300 a year on their energy bills at minimal cost to the city.
Eight Powerful, Practical Policies
This report details eight practical energy policies cities can and have used to their economic advantage: Continue reading
Article, Resource
filed under
Energy, Energy Self-Reliant States
| Written by
John Farrell
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| Updated on
Oct 7, 2013
The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at https://ilsr.org/12-slides-8-practical-local-energy-policies-boost-economy/
A vividly visual summary of our newest report, City Power Play: 8 Practical Local Energy Policies to Boost the Economy, this presentation covers eight powerful policies and practices that cities have employed to reduce energy use, save money, and create local jobs, all without waiting for someone else to act. It provides short case studies… Continue reading
Article
filed under
Energy, Energy Self-Reliant States
| Written by
John Farrell
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| Updated on
Apr 26, 2013
The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at https://ilsr.org/local-permitting-bigger-difference-solar-cheap/
Going solar keeps getting cheaper, but most of the cost savings have come from less expensive solar panels. “Soft costs,” like permitting and inspections, are a rising share of the cost of a solar installation. Several years ago, these permits could increase the cost of a residential solar project (then around $8.00 per Watt) by… Continue reading
Rule
filed under
Energy
| Written by
John Farrell
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| Updated on
Jun 7, 2012
The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at https://ilsr.org/rule/solar-permitting/vermont-streamlines-solar-permitting/
The state of Vermont has come up with a good rule for reducing the cost of solar power installations. A national study recently found that local permitting can increase the cost of residential solar by 15-20%, a problem that becomes more pressing as the cost of solar hardware falls. Vermont’s rule shifts the burden of… Continue reading
Rule
filed under
Energy
| Written by
John Farrell
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| Updated on
Jun 7, 2012
The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at https://ilsr.org/rule/solar-permitting/colorado-caps-solar-permitting-fees/
The state of Colorado passed a law in 2011 to solve the problem of inconsistent and expensive solar permitting costs. A national study recently found that local permitting can increase the cost of residential solar by 15-20%, a problem that becomes more pressing as the cost of solar hardware falls. Colorado’s Fair Permit Act (HB… Continue reading
Rule
filed under
Energy
| Written by
John Farrell
|
| Updated on
Jun 7, 2012
The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at https://ilsr.org/rule/solar-permitting/
In a recent report, SunRun and Vote Solar revealed that permitting costs were rapidly becoming a much more significant portion of the cost of a small-scale solar installation, nearly 20%! Some states have responded with policies designed to streamline and reduce the costs of permitting. Continue reading
