Democratic Energy

New Powerline Study Finds that Local Wind Energy Generation Can Avoid the Need for New Lines

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 15:06:56 -0600

A study released this week in Minnesota shows there is an abundant opportunity for new community-based energy development (C-BED) throughout Minnesota. The study’s conclusions affirm those of a previous utility study that found that significant amounts of wind energy can be injected into the existing transmission system at costs far lower than building new transmission lines to more distant wind farms.

Report: Concentrating Solar and Decentralized Power: Government Incentives Hinder Local Ownership

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 08:44:52 -0600

Can residential rooftop solar compete with new utility-scale concentrating solar electric plants? Only if federal and state incentives are amended to level the playing field. This May 2008 report explores the economics of solar PV and concentrating solar and shows how local ownership is hindered unless government solar incentives change.

Federal Energy Incentives Are Drifting in the Wind

Thu, 01 May 2008 08:57:29 -0600

A wind turbine can power up to 600 homes, but 600 homeowners can't get together to own a wind turbine. Why? Because federal law makes local ownership virtually impossible. The federal wind-energy incentives -- up for renewal this year -- discriminate against local ownership and favor absentee ownership. They also severely restrict the number of investors who can finance wind-energy generators.

Distributed Energy First, Wait On New Transmission Lines

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 13:21:02 -0600

A debate between advocates of distributed and centralized renewable energy systems is just beginning. It is overdue. Consideration of scale in renewable energy systems has been delayed in part because we first had to bring solar energy in all its forms to market, and in part because the distributed nature of renewable energy resources seemed inexorably to lead to their being harnessed in distributed fashion. Only recently have we begun to realize that a renewable energy future does not inevitably mean a decentralized energy future.

Report: Federal Barriers Are Limiting Renewable Energy Ownership Opportunities

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 13:41:52 -0600

A typical 2 megawatt wind turbine provides enough electricity for around 600 average American homes. So why is it nearly impossible for those same 600 households to pool their resources and own a wind turbine? A new policy brief by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) shows how removing two barriers to owning and investing in renewable energy projects can pave the way for true energy independence.

UK Home Buyers Will Get Substantive Energy and Environmental Information

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 11:01:29 -0600

Regulations coming into force in April and May 2008 will bring a wealth of energy and environmental information to homebuyers in the United Kingdom. Potential buyers will get an Energy Performance Certificate and a mandatory comparison of the new home to the requirements contained in the UK's Code for Sustainable Homes as part of home information packets (HIPs) prior to purchasing the home.

Driving Our Way to Energy Independence

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 10:56:43 -0600

Updating a pathbreaking 2003 report, ILSR's March 2008 report, Driving Our Way to Energy Independence, describes how commercially available technologies today could transform our petroleum powered transportation system into one powered by electricity and biofuels. Provisions in the recently passed Energy Act could accelerate that transformation. With the adoption of complementary policies, the revolution in our transportation sector can generate an equally profound revolution in our electricity sector. Hundreds of thousands of locally owned wind turbines and solar electric arrays supplying flexible fueled, plug-in hybrid vehicles can allow tens of millions of Americans to become energy producers not just energy consumers.

New Anti-Ethanol Studies Reach Wrong Conclusion on Greenhouse Gases

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 14:35:54 -0600

A new policy brief from Institute for Local Self Reliance criticizes the authors of two recent studies published in Science for advancing a conclusion not supported by their own studies. ILSR's paper notes that the vast majority of today’s ethanol production comes from corn cultivated on land that has been in corn production for generations. Since little new land has come into production, either directly or indirectly, the current use of ethanol clearly reduces greenhouse gas emissions.

312 Projects Given Go-Ahead to Issue Clean Renewable Energy Bonds

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 11:18:39 -0600

Last month the Internal Revenue Service today announced 312 projects that are now eligible to be financed with tax-credit bonds under the Clean Renewable Energy Bonds (CREB) program. Approximately, $477 million was available for this round of applications. The CREB program was created by the Energy Tax Incentives Act of 2005 and expanded under the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006.

Carbon Caps With Universal Dividends: Equitable, Ethical & Politically Effective Climate Policy

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 16:17:15 -0600

A new policy brief from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance concludes that universal dividends are a critically important tool to create the political will and public acceptance for a carbon cap. Universal dividends have the potential to hold harmless a large segment of consumers while we move to a low-carbon economy. Moreover, the universal dividend honors the principle that the sky belongs to all of us equally. Private investment in clean and efficient technologies will be driven by a carbon cap that leads to steady reductions over time of GHG emissions and carbon-based fuels.

New Study Proposes Powerful Strategy to Expand Renewable Energy and Boost Local Economies

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 16:43:11 -0600

Several European countries and the Canadian province of Ontario have recently adopted feed-in tariffs, a mandated, long-term premium price for renewable energy paid by the local utility company to renewable energy producers. A new study by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) shows how feed-in tariffs could turbocharge Minnesota’s renewable electricity standard, reduce costs, and spread the economic benefits across the state.

Electric Avenue - PHEVs in Travel+Leisure Magazine

Tue, 23 Oct 2007 16:05:25 -0600

A new kind of hybrid uses less gas and more electricity. All-electric cars are already here. What will this mean for the road trip of the future? ILSR's David Morris plugs in and gives us a little history lesson of the Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV).

New California Law Hopes For Dramatic Expansion of Solar Hot Water Systems

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 09:14:04 -0600

The California Solar Water Heating and Efficiency Act of 2007 (AB 1470), creates a 10-year program aimed at installing 200,000 solar water heaters in homes and businesses using a $250 million fund. The law authorizes the California Energy Commission to “impose the surcharge at a level that is necessary to meet the goal ...” The surcharge will be applied to natural gas consumption on a per Btu basis and is estimated that it will cost the average residential natural gas user an additional 13 cents per month. The bill was signed into law on October 12, 2007.

Enhancing On-Site Solar Using Reasonable City Fees

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 12:11:26 -0600

A survey in northern California reveals a wide range of fees assessed to homeowners that install on-site solar power systems. The Sierra Club's Loma Prieta, S.F. Bay and Redwood chapters compared the charges and fees in 131 municipalities. The report recommends on that a $300 fee is an appropriate ceiling level that would comply with state law.

Column: On Renewable Energy, Go Local

Thu, 16 Aug 2007 15:32:34 -0600

This column by ILSR's John Farrell argues that in their desire to expand renewable-energy production, activists and policymakers focus almost entirely on “more,” rather than “better.” Twenty-seven states have renewable-energy standards, requiring utilities to produce or sell 10, 20, even 30 percent of electricity from renewable sources in the next two decades. The U.S. House just passed an energy bill with a national renewable-energy standard and a drastically higher biofuels mandate. This tunnel vision on “more” overlooks the substantial benefits that local ownership can bring to our energy future.