John Farrell, Author at CleanTechnica

John Farrell

John 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.

Clean Power

America’s Energy Future a Battle Between Entrenched Utilities and Clean, Local Power

While Americans transition their electricity system to the 21st century, they should ask this question: Does it make sense to pursue strategies such as...

John FarrellNovember 28, 2011

Clean Power

Simple, Transparent Feed-in Tariff Policy Responsible for Most Renewable Energy

Feed-in tariffs are a comprehensive renewable energy policy responsible for two-thirds of the world’s wind power (64 percent) and almost 90 percent of the...

John FarrellNovember 21, 2011

Clean Power

Going Boulder: a Vote for Energy Self-Reliance

By a razor-thin margin, Boulder citizens gave the city a victory for energy self-reliance on Nov. 1, approving two ballot measures to let the...

John FarrellNovember 15, 2011

Batteries

Electric Vehicles Enable More Local Clean Energy

The U.S. Northwest could get an additional 12 percent of its electricity from local wind power if 1 in 8 of the region’s cars...

John FarrellNovember 10, 2011

Clean Power

Wind Could Provide 25% or More of Electricity for Most States

At least 32 states can get 25% or more of their electricity from wind power within their own borders. This map is updated from...

John FarrellNovember 8, 2011

Clean Power

California Governor Tells Western Grid: No Renewable Energy Imports Needed

Western grid operators have been making plans for large-scale renewable energy imports into the California electricity market, prompting the governor’s Senior Advisor for Renewable...

John FarrellNovember 3, 2011

Clean Power

Citizens Give “Going Boulder” a New Meaning: Local Energy Self-reliance

By a razor-thin margin, Boulder citizens gave the city a victory for energy self-reliance on Tuesday, approving two ballot measures to let the city...

John FarrellNovember 3, 2011

Clean Power

Distributed Solar Power Gets More Affordable

Installed costs for solar PV have dropped and economies of scale improved significantly in 2010, opening the door for much more cost-competitive distributed solar...

John FarrellOctober 31, 2011

Clean Power

Why “Market-Based” is Poor Criteria for Solar Policy

When it comes to solar policy in the U.S., there are three flavors: tax or cash incentives, long-term CLEAN Contracts, and solar renewable energy...

John FarrellOctober 28, 2011

Clean Power

Infographic: Power the Economy and Grid with Local Solar Power

Locally owned solar power has a few benefits of alternative solar power options. Check them out:

John FarrellOctober 24, 2011

Clean Power

Big Wind Farms Cost More Than Small Ones

It seems obvious: every extra turbine in a wind farm comes at a lower incremental cost, making the biggest wind power projects the most...

John FarrellOctober 20, 2011