Unfortunately for utilities, new technology and commercial opportunities in the coming years will only increase the threat to the 1.0 business model. Solar energy is growing exponentially as costs have fallen 28% per year from 2009-2013, and electricity from rooftops is approaching or passing parity with utility prices.63 This is the third of four parts of ILSR’s … Read More
In a filing Tuesday (April 28), Minnesota’s largest electric utility announced unilateral action within the next 30 days to reduce development under the state’s community solar gardens program by 80%, from nearly 560 MW to 80. It’s the latest in a series of attempts to slow the program, including efforts to cap the program and impose … Read More
Midwest Energy News, April 28, 2015 After talks with solar developers reached an impasse, Xcel Energy announced plans Tuesday to strictly limit the size of community solar projects in Minnesota. In a letter to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission, the state’s largest utility said it will prohibit developers from co-locating 1 megawatt (MW) gardens together at … Read More
I have the privilege of talking to a lot of reporters about rooftop solar energy, and particularly about why utilities seem hell bent on stopping their customers from using their own money to add clean, renewable energy to the electric grid. If this seems confusing to you, too, here’s a quick primer with some key resources. … Read More
This week in Democratic Energy: Why homeowners may want to think twice before leasing solar panels How Germany’s solar success shines — even through solar eclipse New Solar ownership program could be key to distributed local energy surge Find out which Texas city is set to completely embrace clean power! Featured Stories Leased solar panels can complicate … Read More
This week in Democratic Energy: West Virginia governor signs bill slamming brakes on solar development Wal-mart’s support of a new North Carolina law should give regulators pause California could produce five times their energy needs from solar Utility titan plays harder as industry evolves by Bill Loveless, USA Today Of course Fanning says he doesn’t see utilities becoming … Read More
At a Minnesota Solar Energy Industries Association conference in November 2014, ILSR’s Director of Democratic Energy John Farrell tilted with Xcel Energy’s Rick Evans about the state’s dormant value of solar policy and whether it was likely to be adopted in the near future. Click the following links to see some of the biggest questions and … Read More
In the first half of 2014, distributed local solar power constituted over 25% of new power plant capacity. This impressive growth continues several years where solar power has grown by leaps and bounds, producing power right where it’s needed and juicing up local economies. But many states have limited how much of their electricity can come … Read More
Various Sources, November 17, 2014 This week in democratic energy, media reports discussed the state of solar across the country, a new battery prototype for wind and solar power, and more. John Farrell, Director of ILSR’s Democratic Energy initiative, was quoted in the Midwest Energy News article, “In Minnesota, community solar market starting to take off.” … Read More
