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Article filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | No Comments | Updated on Oct 13, 2010

Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE): on life support

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/property-assessed-clean-energy-pace-life-support-0/

In mid October, Leon County, FL, joined Babylon, NY, Palm Desert, CA, and Sonoma County, CA, as well as the California Attorney General, Sierra Club, and Natural Resources Defense Council in suing the Federal Housing Finance Agency over their opposition to the Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) municipal energy financing program.  These lawsuits were complemented… Continue reading

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Article, Resource filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | 1 Comment | Updated on Oct 8, 2010

PACE Presentation: Overview, Update, and Future

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/pace-presentation-overview-update-and-future/

PACE provides one of the most promising municipal energy financing tools and it’s been adopted by 22 states.  But resistance from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac has put the brakes on new programs.  This presentation explores the rationale, the process, and the promise of PACE. Continue reading

Article filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | 1 Comment | Updated on Oct 4, 2010

Policy to Maximize On-site Use from Distributed Generation

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/policy-maximize-site-use-distributed-generation/

Distributed generation (DG) puts energy production close to where it is consumed, often on people’s homes or in their backyards.  But just having a rooftop solar module doesn’t mean that every kilowatt-hour produced from sunlight is used in the home.  In fact, it’s often less than one-third, with the remaining energy production flowing out into… Continue reading

Article filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | No Comments | Updated on Sep 20, 2010

Open Neighborhoods community solar makes solar PV in LA a homerun

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/open-neighborhoods-community-solar-makes-solar-pv-la-homerun/

Residential solar PV in Los Angeles is getting a huge boost from a new community solar buying group. With typical residential installation costs for crystalline solar PV, residents would see a 20-year payback on a solar PV installation or a minimal 2% IRR on a 25-year investment (without factoring an inverter replacement).  But what about… Continue reading

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Article filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | No Comments | Updated on Sep 16, 2010

Europe Leads on Decentralized Renewables, but Lags on Effective Building Retrofits

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/europe-leads-decentralized-renewables-lags-effective-building-retrofits/

Decentralized renewable energy doesn’t top the climate and energy agenda in Europe or the United States, but for very different reasons. In Europe, there has already been substantial development of decentralized renewable energy, and policy makers have moved on to discussions of 100% renewable energy. In the United States, by contrast, well-heeled interest groups tend to dominate renewable energy discourse, and American energy policy reflects their paradigm of centralized generation dependent on high-voltage transmission lines.

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Article, ILSR Press Room filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | 8 Comments | Updated on Sep 9, 2010

Community Solar – A New Model for Local Ownership?

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/community-solar-new-model-local-ownership/

A new report by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR), Community Solar Power: Obstacles and Opportunities , examines nine community solar projects, the policies that made them possible, and the (substantial)barriers that remain.  Successful community solar power projects in Colorado, Maryland, and North Carolina are knocking down the price of residential-scale solar photovoltaics (PV) by… Continue reading

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Article filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | No Comments | Updated on Aug 3, 2010

Federal Stimulus Cash Grant Gives Boost to Locally Owned Wind Power

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/federal-stimulus-cash-grant-gives-boost-locally-owned-wind-power/

The credit crisis may have crimped commercial wind turbine installations, but the economic stimulus cash grants in lieu of tax credits have given new life to community wind projects.  Continue reading

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Article filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | No Comments | Updated on Jul 2, 2010

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Won’t Allow PACE liens

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/fannie-mae-and-freddie-mac-wont-allow-pace-liens/

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have told federal regulators and plan to release additional guidance indicating that the senior lien status of PACE liens is not acceptable.  This declaration comes despite recent articles highlighting the minimal impact of PACE liens on the lenders’ balance sheets, White House and DOE support for the program, and the 23 states who have enabled Property Assessed Clean Energy Financing. Continue reading

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Article, ILSR Press Room filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | No Comments | Updated on Jun 3, 2010

Energy Self-Reliant States Get A Boost From New Federal Study

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/energy-selfreliant-states-get-boost-new-federal-study/

A new study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) reinforces the findings of a 2009 report by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR).  The ILSR report, Energy Self-Reliant States, concluded that all 50 states could generate at least 25 percent of their electricity needs from in-state renewable energy while 31 could generate over 100 percent.  Continue reading

On the Air
Article, ILSR Press Room, Resource filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | No Comments | Updated on May 20, 2010

John Farrell on This Week in Energy talking about PACE municipal energy financing

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/john-farrell-week-energy-talking-about-pace-municipal-energy-financing/

On episode 24 of This Week in Energy, John Farrell discusses PACE, oil spills and smart grids with hosts Bob Tregilus and Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield. Continue reading