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Cost of Residential Solar v. US Residential Retail
Article filed under Energy | Written by Wade | No Comments | Updated on Mar 27, 2013

The Coming Solar Electricity Transformation

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/coming-solar-electricity-transformation/

Solar cells are unusual in that they were cost-competitive from the get-go. From the Apollo space program to highway signs to lighting for buoys, solar could replace highly expensive power from batteries or other sources and eliminate the need for the construction of electric distribution lines.1 When the Institute for Local Self-Reliance was founded in… Continue reading

WNHN logo
Article, Resource filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | No Comments | Updated on Mar 25, 2013

John Farrell Talks Local Energy Ownership with Arnie Arnesen on WNHN

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/john-farrell-talks-local-energy-ownership-arnie-arnesen-wnhn/

Can energy decisions be made locally, energy generated locally, and energy owned locally?  John answers those questions and talks about Solar 1.0 through 4.0 in this 20-minute discussion on Attitude with Arnie Arnesen on New Hampshire’s WNHN on March 20, 2013. Continue reading

Boulder Vote Yes 2B 2C banner
Article, Resource filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | No Comments | Updated on Mar 22, 2013

Susan Osborne and Boulder’s Clean Energy Takeover: Episode 5 of Local Energy Rules Podcast

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/susan-osborne-boulders-clean-energy-takeover-episode-5-local-energy-rules-podcast/

In this episode of Local Energy Rules, John Farrell and Wade Underwood talk with Susan Osborne, the former Mayor of Boulder, CO, about that city’s effort to take control of its energy future. Thanks to Susan’s leadership and the vision of Boulder’s citizens, the city adopted a ballot measure in the fall of 2011 to… Continue reading

to-improve-minnesota-broadband-look-to-lessons-of-electrification
Article filed under Broadband | Written by Christopher | No Comments | Updated on Mar 16, 2013

To Improve Minnesota Broadband, Look to Lessons of Electrification

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.muninetworks.org/content/improve-minnesota-broadband-look-lessons-electrification

Steve Downer is the Associate Executive Director of the Minnesota Municipal Utilities Association, MMUA, and he previously served on the Blandin Foundation Strategy Board. He offered these thoughts on page 4 of the “The Resource” [pdf] from January 2013 and has allowed us to reprint them below. According to online reports, House Commerce Chairman Joe… Continue reading

Cost of 10 Percent Solar for MN
Article filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | 2 Comments | Updated on Mar 14, 2013

The Making of a Midwestern Solar Energy Standard

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/making-midwestern-solar-energy-standard/

Last night, the House Energy Policy Committee in the Minnesota state legislature voted 8-6 to approve a 4% by 2025 solar energy standard, with an innovative new approach to financing solar power.  It’s a powerful first step for what would be one of the more robust policies to support distributed, local solar power in the… Continue reading

CUB Retail Electricity Suppliers Report Card
Article filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | No Comments | Updated on Feb 28, 2013

Three Unequal Options for Local Energy Control

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/unequal-options-local-energy-control/

If we ignore self-generation, three policies are at the center of increasing local control of energy: deregulation (“customer choice”), municipal aggregation (“city choice”), and municipal utilities (“city ownership”).  Two recent articles highlight the relative value of these policies quite clearly. The Citizens Utility Board (CUB) of Illinois, a nonprofit ratepayer advocacy organization, just released a… Continue reading

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Featured Article, Resource filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | No Comments | Updated on Feb 19, 2013

How a City Can Get More Clean, Local Energy

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/city-clean-local-energy/

Like many cities attempting to solve climate change at a local level, Minneapolis is finding the prospect more challenging that it may have imagined. The lion’s share of emissions (two-thirds in the case of Minneapolis) come from electricity and gas sold by two monopoly, corporate utilities. Minnesota’s state-level policy is helping: a renewable energy standard… Continue reading

solar works minnesota presentation.001
Article filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | No Comments | Updated on Feb 15, 2013

A Local Solar Energy Standard for Minnesota

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/local-solar-energy-standard-minnesota/

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… Continue reading

billy-ray-community-broadband-pioneer-joins-us-for-community-broadband-bits-33
Article filed under Broadband | Written by Christopher | No Comments | Updated on Feb 12, 2013

Billy Ray, Community Broadband Pioneer, Joins us For Community Broadband Bits #33

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.muninetworks.org/content/billy-ray-community-broadband-pioneer-joins-us-community-broadband-bits-33

Glasgow was a true pioneer in community owned broadband networks, starting with its own cable plant in the 1980s. Billy Ray, CEO of Glasgow Electric Plant Board, has been an inspiration for municipal broadband networks — one can’t dig into the early history of LUS Fiber in Louisiana without running into something from Billy Ray,… Continue reading

electric-coops-natural-choice-for-expanding-rural-internet-access
Article filed under Broadband | Written by Lisa Gonzalez | No Comments | Updated on Jan 25, 2013

Electric Coops Natural Choice for Expanding Rural Internet Access

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.muninetworks.org/content/electric-coops-natural-choice-expanding-rural-internet-access

“The electric co-ops represent possibly the greatest potential for expansion of really good infrastructure in rural America,” [Todd] Pealock said, explaining how it’s a natural fit for co-ops to be infrastructure providers. “It’s very synergistic for our linemen to hang cable, to lift the hardware up,” Pealock said. “The splicing is very natural for them.”… Continue reading