Originally posted at ilsr.org. Aggressive state policy and cost reductions for clean energy have created two business model crises for electric utilities: stagnant sales and exponentially rising production from distributed renewable sources. This is the second of four parts of ILSR’s Beyond Utility 2.0 to Energy Democracy report being published in serial. To … [continued]
Originally posted at ilsr.org. The U.S. electricity system is undergoing the biggest change in its 130-year history. The scale of electricity generation is rapidly shrinking, from coal and nuclear power plants that can power a million homes to solar and wind power plants that power a few to a few … [continued]
Originally posted at ilsr.org. Second quarter data from the Energy Information Administration and the Solar Energy Industries Association came out this week and distributed solar continues its surging growth. Over 650 megawatts (MW) of new distributed solar capacity was grid connected between April and June, 10% of new power plant … [continued]
Originally published on ilsr.org In the first half of 2014, distributed local solar power constituted over 25% of new power plant capacity. This impressive growth continues several years where solar power has grown by leaps and bounds, producing power right where it’s needed and juicing up local economies. But many states … [continued]
Originally published on Energy Post. The integration of approximately 60% of renewables into the European electricity system will be feasible by 2030, but will come with an extensive expansion of infrastructure, including transmission and distribution networks as well as conventional backup generation. The challenges of grid integration of renewables can … [continued]
China’s National Energy Administration has released figures for the country’s solar installation over 2014, and the news is good: 10.6 GW of new solar was deployed in 2014, pushing the country’s currently installed capacity up to near-30 GW. According to PV-Magazine and PVTech, the National Energy Administration released official data … [continued]
The Interstate Renewable Energy Council has released a timely report addressing the many issues of managing infrastructure of a modern electric grid. The lead paragraph from the Executive Summary of “Easing the Transition to a More Distributed Electricity System” quite clearly establishes the issues at hand: In recent years, new … [continued]
Originally posted at ilsr.org. I spent three days last fall with some of the biggest minds behind the “new economy” movement, noting how their core theme – economic democracy – is hand in hand with ILSR’s work on democratic energy. The big takeaway? Solar power is the spark to energize … [continued]
The U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s 2013 Renewable Energy Data Book provides insight into dozens of global energy trends. Here are 7 to watch.
Two issues that greatly concern the US power sector—grid capability and carbon reduction needs—have just gained attention with a $48 million Clean Energy Initiative from Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Heising-Simons family. The organizations announced the initiative on Wednesday. It will advance state-created clean energy solutions by funding a broad range of local, … [continued]
