PCMag’s Fastest ISPs in America List Once Again Proves the Value of Cities Investing in Internet Infrastructure

Date: 30 Jun 2021 | posted in: MuniNetworks | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

After three years in a row with similar results, PCMag’s “Fastest ISPs in America” for 2021 analysis shows a clear trend: community owned and/or operated broadband infrastructure supports networks which, today, handily beat the huge monopoly Internet Service Providers (ISPs) – cable and telephone alike – for sheer speed. The latest list proves it. Of the ten-fastest ISPs in the country, all of them feature operators that either are cities themselves or use city-owned fiber or conduit to deliver service across whole or parts of their footprint. … Read More

Big Utility’s Two-Faced Talk on Low-Carbon Energy [infographic]

Date: 25 Oct 2013 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

What happens when a monopoly utility sees a threat to their business model? A lot of two-faced talking to regulators about the best carbon-free energy sources. Read here for more background.     Like what you see?  Get a weekly email on Democratic Energy, or follow us on Twitter:

Monopoly Utility (n): see “two-faced”

Date: 24 Oct 2013 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Two weeks ago, I listened – incredulously – to Minnesota’s largest utility, Xcel Energy, suggest that solar energy offers its ratepayers no value as an environmental hedge against carbon emissions or as a price hedge against natural gas fuel price fluctuations. But just three days later, Xcel was singing a different tune [docket pdf] to the … Read More

Debating the Value of Solar – Pt. 2 of Minnesota’s Process

Date: 8 Oct 2013 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

It was an unseasonably sunny day for part two of Minnesota’s value of solar stakeholder process: participation day. The leadoff was the Department of Commerce’s proposed approach to a value of solar methodology.  Shown below, it set some broad principles the Department intends to use in the value of solar formula it develops:     Accuracy … Read More

Setting the Value of Solar – Part 1 of Minnesota’s Process

Date: 27 Sep 2013 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 1 Facebooktwitterredditmail

What is solar worth to a utility? It’s an issue of national debate, but one unexpected state – Minnesota – is engaging a formal process for determining the methodology for setting the value of solar. As the first multi-utility process, it’s likely to set a precedent nationwide for what the “value of solar” will mean and … Read More

Essential Elements in the Value of Solar

Date: 27 Sep 2013 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Comments to the Minnesota Division of Energy Resources Re: Value of Solar Stakeholder Process From: Institute for Local Self-Reliance    John Farrell, Director of Democratic Energy Date: September 20, 2013 Background The value of solar component of the state’s new solar energy standard must be considered in the context of the state’s energy goals, expressed in … Read More

The Solar Opportunity

Date: 18 Jun 2013 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

The coming of solar grid parity offers an opportunity for millions of Americans to go solar affordably. But it also means a potential transformation, a democratization of an electricity system long dominated by centrally-controlled utilities and centralized ownership and production of electricity. When solar can undercut grid electricity prices, it may also undercut this 20th century … Read More

Going Local Gives More Value to Solar Power

Date: 27 Nov 2012 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 2 Facebooktwitterredditmail

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 He … Read More

Finding Value in Distributed Generation, Before it Finds You

Date: 9 Nov 2012 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 2 Facebooktwitterredditmail

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 their … Read More

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