Electricity, natural gas and oil prices have risen globally in recent months, causing hardship for many people around the world. Europe is at the center of the crisis, with natural gas prices increasing 400% last year, raising household bills and putting multiple energy companies out of business. By Joel Jaeger, Tatsatom Gonçalves, Arya Harsono and Lori Bird World Resources Institute Other countries like […]
Not for the first time, global energy markets are in turmoil. Internationally traded gas prices more than quadrupled in 2021. In their wake, many energy suppliers have gone bust and household bills across Europe are set to soar. Energy prices are driving up the cost of living and inflation, but this is also a moment […]
Electrification is gaining popularity, power plants need replacing, and there is a growing demand for clean energy resources. For those reasons, there is a constant buildout of shiny new electricity producers: wind turbines, solar panels, and gas plants. Also, more than ever before, electric customers are choosing to generate their own electricity with on-site solar […]
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that President Biden signed into law last November is a down payment to modernize the electric grid in the United States, but it’s only a piece of what’s needed. The country needs a grid that is faster, more resilient and helps it meet its emissions reduction goals. As we enter 2022, it’s time for Congress […]
In the state of Washington, advocates hope that the third time’s the charm for passing community solar legislation. By Maria McCoy Institute for Local Self-Reliance For this episode of the Local Energy Rules Podcast, host John Farrell speaks with Mason Rolph, President of Olympia Community Solar. In the absence of supportive state policy, Rolph has found […]
Based on our first ever survey of solar developers, ILSR’s new report shows how electric utilities and policymakers are creating unexpected delays and added costs for solar projects and slowing the growth of local solar. The report, 2021 Local Solar Developer Survey, seeks to identify the most common and impactful barriers to local solar through findings from the […]
Several clean energy technologies like solar panels have become consistently cheaper year after year as the industries have benefited from learning, experience and economies of scale. Falling solar costs are described by “Swanson’s Law,” much like Moore’s Law described the rapid and consistent progress in the semiconductor industry. Solar photovoltaic cells in 2019 cost about 85% less per watt […]
The coronavirus pandemic has been the biggest disruption to the global labor force in generations. It’s also exacerbated inequality. Global unemployment was equivalent to 127 million full-time jobs in the second quarter of 2021. The number of people who do have jobs but are living in poverty has increased – undoing five years of progress. While in some countries […]
Rooftop solar panels are up to 79% cheaper than they were in 2010. These plummeting costs have made rooftop solar photovoltaics even more attractive to households and businesses who want to reduce their reliance on electricity grids while reducing their carbon footprints. By Siddharth Joshi, University College Cork; James Glynn, Columbia University, and Shivika Mittal, […]
As regulated monopolies, though they own and operate the distribution grid, utility companies must follow the rules set for them and guarantee customers certain rights. In Minnesota, and in any state with net metering policy, customers have the right to build rooftop solar and connect it to the distribution grid. Minnesota also has a community solar policy, […]
Electricity generation produces a quarter of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions that drive climate change. The electric grid also is highly vulnerable to climate change effects, such as more frequent and severe droughts, hurricanes and other extreme weather events. By Felix Mormann, Texas A&M University The Conversation For both of these reasons, the power sector is […]
As Congress debates billions of dollars in new infrastructure investments, advocates are touting the social and economic benefits of building new high-voltage transmission lines, clean energy plants and electric vehicle charging stations, along with fixing aging roads and bridges. But when it’s time to break ground, will people accept these new projects in their communities? […]
Electricity customers are lining up to generate their own clean, affordable solar energy, but to get it to them, solar developers must navigate the impediments of a congested and outdated electricity grid. By Maria McCoy Institute for Local Self-Reliance For this episode of the Local Energy Rules podcast, host John Farrell speaks with Yochi Zakai, attorney with […]
Many rural counties in the United States face the dual challenges of lagging economic growth and increasingly severe effects of climate change. While urban areas are not uniformly prosperous and rural areas are not uniformly poor, rural communities on average lag behind their urban counterparts on most key economic indicators — from poverty rates to […]
In 2016, Oregon passed SB 1547, the Clean Electricity and Coal Transition Act, which raised the Renewable Portfolio Standard and made solar accessible to homeowners, renters, schools, businesses, and governments through community net metering. The community solar program’s maximum capacity is set at two and a half percent of each utility’s 2016 system peak, enabling an […]