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chart solar cost and permitting 2013
Article filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | No Comments | Updated on Apr 26, 2013

Local Permitting Makes a Bigger Difference as Solar Gets Cheap

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

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Article, Resource filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | No Comments | Updated on Apr 18, 2013

600 Investors in South Dakota’s Premier Community Wind Project: Episode 7 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/600-investors-south-dakotas-premier-community-wind-project-episode-7-local-energy-rules-podcast/

In this episode of Local Energy Rules, John Farrell speaks to Brian Minish, CEO of South Dakota Wind Partners about a community wind project that attracted over 600 local investors.  The project was the brainchild of four state organizations rooted in rural South Dakota–the East River Electric Cooperative, South Dakota Farm Bureau, South Dakota Farmers… Continue reading

Paul Spencer, Clean Energy Collective
Article, Resource filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | No Comments | Updated on Apr 5, 2013

Paul Spencer and the Community Solar ‘Holy Grail’: Episode 6 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/paul-spencer-community-solar-holy-grail-episode-6-local-energy-rules-podcast/

This week John Farrell and Wade Underwood talk with Paul Spencer, President and founder of the Clean Energy Collective (CEC) in Carbondale, CO. The CEC is pioneering the process of delivering clean power-generation through medium-scale (mostly solar) facilities that are collectively owned by participating utility customers. In many ways, their community energy model is the… Continue reading

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

Los Angeles FIT Program capacity and price
Article filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | No Comments | Updated on Apr 3, 2013

Los Angeles Utility Goes for Local Solar with 100 MW Feed-In Tariff

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/los-angeles-utility-local-solar-feed-in-tariff/

Officially launched in January after years of development, a new CLEAN (feed-in tariff) program from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (the city’s municipal electric utility) promises 100 MW of new local renewable energy by 2016.  In absolute size, the program will be among the largest CLEAN programs in the U.S., but compared to… Continue reading

Cost of Residential Solar v. US Residential Retail
Article filed under Energy | Written by Wade | 1 Comment | 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

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Article filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | 1 Comment | Updated on Mar 20, 2013

Two Ways Americans May Get More Ownership of their Energy Future

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/ways-americans-ownership-energy-future/

Three years ago, the prospects for Americans to own their energy future seemed relatively bleak. There were almost no replicable models for doing community-based energy projects or investment, despite falling costs and technology – solar and wind – that lend themselves to local development. But thanks to recent opportunities in community solar and crowdfunding, we… 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