Rule
filed under
Banking
| Written by
admin
|
| Updated on
May 24, 2012
The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/rule/depositing-public-funds-in-local-banks/responsible-banking-act-los-angeles/
Banks that wish to do business with the City of Los Angeles must annually submit information on their lending and investments in each of the city’s census tracts. Continue reading
Article, ILSR Press Room
filed under
Energy
| Written by
John Farrell
|
| Updated on
May 23, 2012
The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/energy-switch-waiting-flipped/
Minneapolis Star Tribune – May 23, 2012 Minnesota spends more than $20 billion a year on energy — primarily importing polluting fossil fuels — and the state’s utilities typically lobby against decreasing our dependency. This hampers our economy and harms our environment. Fortunately, cities don’t have to rely on the Legislature to stand up for… Continue reading
Article
filed under
Energy
| Written by
John Farrell
|
| Updated on
May 9, 2012
The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/map-state-3rd-party-ppa-rules/
In lieu of smarter policy, schools, libraries, and city buildings hoping to install solar power have to resort to complex public-private partnerships to access federal tax incentives. One common strategy is the power purchase agreement (PPA). In essence, a PPA allows the public building owner to buy solar electricity on contract from a third party… Continue reading
Article
filed under
Energy
| Written by
John Farrell
|
| Updated on
May 8, 2012
The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/overturning-15-rule-expands-distributed-generation-opportunity-california/
If you haven’t heard yet, there’s a “rule” that precludes distributed renewable energy projects from supplying more than 15% of the power to most “distribution circuits” (part of the low-voltage electric grid that brings power into homes and businesses). With the rapidly falling cost of solar power, many places in the country are starting to… Continue reading
Article
filed under
Energy
| Written by
John Farrell
|
| Updated on
May 4, 2012
The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/cost-effective-solar-feed-in-tariff/
In a forthcoming report on U.S. feed-in tariff programs, I’ll provide a comparison of solar feed-in tariff (FIT, a.k.a. CLEAN Contract) rates across the United States. Comparing published rates is not particularly helpful, however, because contract lengths vary (from 15 to 25 years) and the solar resource also varies widely. For international comparisons (e.g. Germany), it’s… Continue reading
Article
filed under
Broadband
| Written by
Christopher
|
| Updated on
May 3, 2012
The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.muninetworks.org/content/new-video-explains-community-broadband
We have developed a new video to explain why communities consider building their own broadband networks. Please pass it around, embed it in social media, and also remind people that we have a new report with in-depth case studies of community broadband! Video: Continue reading
Featured
Article, Resource
filed under
Energy
| Written by
John Farrell
|
| Updated on
Apr 24, 2012
The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/local-energy-valuable/
Local ownership of a wind project accounts for half of its lifetime economic value to the community! From: Value Creation for Local Communities through Renewable Energies [pdf] Continue reading
Article, Resource
filed under
Energy
| Written by
John Farrell
|
| Updated on
Apr 16, 2012
The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/ontarios-feed-in-tariff-program-good-investment/
ILSR Senior Researcher John Farrell gave this presentation remotely to the Ontario Power Perspectives conference on April 16, 2012. He was supposed to be there in person, but he forgot to renew his passport. The presentation highlights how Ontario’s “buy local” rule, bonuses for community ownership and focus on distributed generation make their feed-in tariff… Continue reading
Article
filed under
Energy
| Written by
John Farrell
|
| Updated on
Apr 11, 2012
The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/net-metering-cost-utilities-benefit-2/
Utilities often claim that allowing customers to run their meter backward (by generating electricity on-site, e.g. from rooftop solar) can affect their bottom line because these customers don’t pay enough to cover the cost of maintaining the grid. In at least one case, however, a utility’s cost-benefit analysis of net metering was turned on its… Continue reading
Article, Resource
filed under
Energy
| Written by
John Farrell
|
| Updated on
Apr 6, 2012
The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/solving-local-clean-energy-puzzle/
In this April 2 presentation to the Pedernales Electric Cooperative of Johnson City, TX, ILSR Senior Researcher John Farrell discussed how solving the clean local energy puzzle requires much more than a consideration of cost per kilowatt-hour. Instead, cooperatives, municipal utilities and others considering developing local clean power should consider issues of scale, value and… Continue reading