John Farrell directs the Democratic Energy program at ILSR and he focuses on energy policy developments that best expand the benefits of local ownership and dispersed generation of renewable energy. His seminal paper, Democratizing the Electricity System, describes how to blast the roadblocks to distributed renewable energy generation, and how such small-scale renewable energy projects are the key to the biggest strides in renewable energy development. Farrell also authored the landmark report Energy Self-Reliant States, which serves as the definitive energy atlas for the United States, detailing the state-by-state renewable electricity generation potential. Farrell regularly provides discussion and analysis of distributed renewable energy policy on his blog, Energy Self-Reliant States (energyselfreliantstates.org), and articles are regularly syndicated on Grist and Renewable Energy World. John Farrell can also be found on Twitter @johnffarrell, or at jfarrell@ilsr.org.
January 14th, 2019 | by John Farrell
Originally published at ilsr.org. Rural communities formed rural electric cooperatives as a way to get energy where no one else would provide [&hellip
January 7th, 2019 | by John Farrell
Co-director of ILSR and Energy Democracy initiative director John Farrell and research associate Marie Donahue sat down before the winter break to reflect on what they are describing as the “Year of 100” — a landmark year for 100% renewable energy commitments in
December 17th, 2018 | by John Farrell
Burning garbage to generate power is neither clean nor renewable. Yet, aging, costly, and polluting solid waste incinerators have been bolstered by a dirty secret — 23 states legally classify incineration as “renewable” in their energy goals and commitments
December 10th, 2018 | by John Farrell
Abita Springs has claimed the title of the first community in Louisiana and among a select number of towns its size nationwide committed to a 100% renewable energy future. Located in St. Tammany Parish, the community is home to only a few thousand people
December 3rd, 2018 | by John Farrell
How does a growing, national nonprofit organization help homeowners complete the circle between clean energy ownership and policy advocacy? ILSR’s Energy Democracy Initiative director John Farrell talks with Anya Schoolman of Solar United Neighbors in this October 2018 recording about two major clean energy policies before the Washington, D.C., city council
November 19th, 2018 | by John Farrell
We’re inspired by the passage of the Portland Clean Energy Initiative this week, a ballot measure that will now provide $30 million per year for the city’s clean energy and climate work. Even better, the funds will target local energy deployment that lifts up low-income folks and people of color with energy savings and solar energy, as well as jobs installing these cost-saving measures.
November 5th, 2018 | by John Farrell
In early November, millions will go to the polls to cast votes in this year’s midterm elections. In addition to electing candidates, some voters have a unique opportunity to directly shape their local energy system
October 23rd, 2018 | by John Farrell
Municipal elections often fall off the radar during national ones, but cities retain a surprising amount of power over their energy future. What can you ask a local candidate or elected official to pursue? The following list of 11 resolutions, actions, and rules can make your local city council or mayor a clean energy champion
October 16th, 2018 | by John Farrell
With a population of just over 1.4 million people, San Diego, the country’s eighth largest city and the second largest in California, is also one of the largest to make a pledge to transition to 100% renewable energy. Drawing on a unique policy tool allowing cities to choose their electricity supply and the area’s enviably abundant solar resources, San Diego is well on its way to developing a clear pathway for how to reach its goal
October 8th, 2018 | by John Farrell
Minnesota’s community solar program hit a record 435 megawatts of operational capacity in September 2018.
October 2nd, 2018 | by John Farrell
A growing number of US cities have set goals to generate 100% of their electricity from renewable resources in the coming decades, each with its own unique circumstances and motivations. Pueblo, a small city of just over 100,000 residents located in southeastern Colorado, is one of these forward-thinking communities
September 24th, 2018 | by John Farrell
How efficient are buildings in your community? That depends a lot on the building code, which states (and sometimes cities) can use to set minimum standards for energy efficiency
September 17th, 2018 | by John Farrell
What if your savings account could enable clean energy investments from insulation to solar to electric vehicles? Starting this summer it can
September 10th, 2018 | by John Farrell
I’ve been asked a lot of questions about Minnesota’s community solar program over the past couple years and it’s time to make one thing clear: Minnesota’s program is the best in the country. Why? Because there 10 times more community solar projects in the queue -- 400 megawatts -- in Minnesota than have been built in the history of community solar in the United States (40 megawatts)
August 21st, 2018 | by John Farrell
For 100 years, most decisions about the US electric grid have been made at the top by electric utilities, public regulators, and grid operators. That era has ended
August 13th, 2018 | by John Farrell
As new power generation comes online, investments in renewable technologies consistently outpace those in fossil fuel development. Continued growth in both distributed and utility-scale solar has further solidified this trend in recent months
August 6th, 2018 | by John Farrell
The Institute for Local Self-Reliance invited clean energy advocates, electricity market regulators, utility employees, and energy democracy adherents to join a webinar exploring the technical, economic, and market implications of cost-effective combination of solar with energy storage
July 30th, 2018 | by John Farrell
As consumers, we all want choice: the freedom to decide our own best interests and where our dollars go. In the energy sector, however, there are not always options to choose from. Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) frees communities to collectively choose their energy supplier. In Ohio, one city is stretching its freedom to choose even further
July 23rd, 2018 | by John Farrell
For most businesses, profit is the bottom line. Conventional wisdom suggests that concerns about social and environmental impacts, though well-intended, can distract from a public company’s legal obligation to reward shareholders
July 16th, 2018 | by John Farrell
The conventional wisdom in electricity generation is that scale matters. But this outdated notion rests on the assumption that electricity generators compete only in the wholesale market. California’s nearly 1 million solar roofs already producing power provide the factual counterpunch to this myth, but so does ample research on the economies of scale and the price of competition in the wind and solar markets
July 9th, 2018 | by John Farrell
If you like solar power, the waning days of New York’s legislative session might make you feel like fighters at the Rebel base during the last scenes of the original Star Wars film. As the scene shifts from the space battle and back again, a voice from the Death Star crew counts down the time until the superweapon will end the freedom fighters: “The Rebel base will be in range in 1 minute…”
June 25th, 2018 | by John Farrell
In 2013, we hosted an inaugural conversation with Anya Schoolman about her neighborhood solar project then called the Mount Pleasant Solar Cooperative, and the early stages of her journey fighting for local climate solutions and distributed solar
June 19th, 2018 | by John Farrell
The final referendum results were stunningly close, with local organizers coming within three votes of advancing an effort for a municipal electric utility in the small town of Decorah, Iowa.
June 11th, 2018 | by John Farrell
Earlier this spring, the Institute for Local Self-Reliance released its 2018 Community Power State Scorecard, revealing the the best and worst states for local clean energy across the country
