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Cost of Residential p.3
Article filed under Energy | Written by Wade | No Comments | Updated on Apr 4, 2013

Solar Costs and Grid Prices On a Collision Course

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/solar-costs-grid-prices-collision/

With the cost of solar continuing to fall rapidly (50% in the past five years) and electricity prices rising steadily, if slowly, the approach of solar grid parity is near. The following chart illustrates the trajectory of solar cost and electricity price, hinting at the coming intersection. 1 The chart compares the cost of a… Continue reading

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

Minneapolis Energy Options logo
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

FIT 101 video screenshot
Article, Resource filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | No Comments | Updated on Jan 15, 2013

A Clean Contract / Feed-In Tariff 101

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/clean-contract-feed-in-tariff-101/

A 5-minute video explaining CLEAN Contracts (a.k.a. feed-in tariffs) in simple terms.  It’d be great if it used a name for the policy that’s in common circulation, but since I was guilty of using Renewable Energy Payments, too, I shouldn’t complain. How Renewable Energy Payments (REPs) Work. from Chris Neidl on Vimeo. Continue reading

commercial solar grid parity cover.001
Article, Resource filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | No Comments | Updated on Jan 4, 2013

Is Your Utility Ready for a Solar Rooftop Revolution?

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/utility-ready-solar-rooftop-revolution/

A presentation summarizing ILSR’s reports on the local solar opportunity as unsubsidized solar becomes competitive with retail electricity prices in nearly every state over the next decade. Read the reports and view our other multimedia resources on solar parity. Is Your Utility Ready for a Solar Rooftop Revolution? from John Farrell Continue reading

commercial solar grid parity report ILSR 2012 cover page
Article, ILSR Press Room filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | No Comments | Updated on Jan 2, 2013

Is Your Utility Ready? New Report Says Local Solar Could Power 10% of Country in 10 Years

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/utility-ready-report-local-solar-power-10-country-10-years/

Minneapolis, MN —Within a decade, more than 35 million buildings may be generating their own solar electricity (without subsidies) at prices lower than their utility offers, sufficient to power almost 10% of the country.

That’s the powerful headline from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance’s latest report, Commercial Rooftop Revolution. Despite the opportunity, utilities, regulators, and policy markers are largely unprepared for the surge of local solar power.

Read the report, view the interactive map, and more

Continue reading

Rooftop Revolution report covers
Article, Resource filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | No Comments | Updated on Dec 14, 2012

Rooftop Revolution Reports

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/rooftop-revolution-reports/

By 2022, over 38 million homes and businesses could get solar power from their own rooftop, pay less for electricity, without any subsidies for solar. These two reports, published in 2012, outline the growth potential for local solar power and the coming rooftop revolution. Click to see more of our Rooftop Revolution resources. Continue reading

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Article filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | 2 Comments | Updated on Nov 27, 2012

Going Local Gives More Value to Solar Power

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

Update: you can now read the whole essay – Wide-scale Implementation of Solar Power I just read an essay by a Canadian utility executive arguing that solar is the most economic energy source, and he systematically dismantles the notion that “cheap baseload coal” is more competitive that solar electricity. First: Solar is Cheaper Than Coal… Continue reading

John Farrell
Featured Article, Resource filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | 2 Comments | Updated on Nov 9, 2012

Finding Value in Distributed Generation, Before it Finds You

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

ILSR Senior Researcher John Farrell is giving this presentation to a collaborative meeting of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the National Association of Regulatory Commissioners (NARUC) this weekend.  It highlights the proven value of distributed solar to utility grid systems and the urgent need for regulators and utilities to incorporate this value into… Continue reading