Featured
Article, Resource
filed under
Energy
| Written by
John Farrell
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| Updated on
Jun 8, 2012
The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/solar-power-minnesota/
This report, done for the Solar Works for Minnesota campaign, explores the value of solar power on schools, libraries, and other public buildings in Minnesota. It was co-authored by John Farrell of ILSR and Christina Mills of IEER. Download the Report Highlights Minnesotans spend more than $20 billion dollars every year on these energy imports…. Continue reading
Rule
filed under
Energy
| Written by
John Farrell
|
| Updated on
Jun 7, 2012
The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/rule/solar-permitting/colorado-caps-solar-permitting-fees/
The state of Colorado passed a law in 2011 to solve the problem of inconsistent and expensive solar permitting costs. A national study recently found that local permitting can increase the cost of residential solar by 15-20%, a problem that becomes more pressing as the cost of solar hardware falls. Colorado’s Fair Permit Act (HB… Continue reading
Article, Rule
filed under
Energy
| Written by
John Farrell
|
| Updated on
Jun 7, 2012
The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/vermonts-streamlined-solar-permitting/
The state of Vermont has come up with a good rule for reducing the cost of solar power installations. A national study recently found that local permitting can increase the cost of residential solar by 15-20%, a problem that becomes more pressing as the cost of solar hardware falls. Vermont’s rule shifts the burden of… 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
admin
|
| Updated on
May 21, 2012
The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/technological-complications-energy-storage/
In the long run, there’s no avoiding energy storage for a 100% renewable energy society. The two major sources of renewable power are wind and sun, and they are either fickle or reliably not available at night. The problem is that the simplest energy storage option for electricity is batteries, and this image from Wikipedia… Continue reading
Article, ILSR Press Room
filed under
Energy
| Written by
John Farrell
|
| Updated on
May 17, 2012
The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/energy-sources/
Florida Times-Union, May 17, 2012 There are a few key principles to remember about energy: As more of the world moves to the middle class, energy needs will grow enormously. “The absolute numbers are staggering,” writes Daniel Yergin, author of “The Quest: Energy, Security and the Remaking of the Modern World.” He provides deep background… Continue reading
Article
filed under
Energy
| Written by
John Farrell
|
| Updated on
May 14, 2012
The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/securitization-democratize-solar-power/
After Wall Street popularized the term “mortgage-backed securities” in their destruction of the economy in 2008, you could be forgiven for thinking “solar securities” are a pyramid scheme. But in truth, they may hold the key to democratizing the financing and the ownership of distributed renewable energy. Right now, financing solar typically means looking for… 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
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
