Adventures In Municipal Data Science
As we deal with the fallout of the big Cs — climate change and the coronavirus — we need to be able to rapidly adapt our urban fabric and buildings.
regulation
US & Canada Low-Carbon Transformation Requires Solutions To 4 Major Challenges – Part 1
This is the first in the series of articles on barriers to rapid climate responses in governments and business, and how they might be overcome.
Cleantech Creates Jobs — Far More US Cleantech Jobs Than Dirty Energy Jobs
There’s a wildly incorrect claim that Republicans are more “pro-job” or “pro-economy” than Democrats. It’s absolutely not true.
The Core Problem With US Policies
Hello, my name is Zach Shahan, and I have a problem. I’m a political nut. More seriously, I’ll admit that I’m strongly drawn to politics, follow policy & politics closely (some might say obsessively), and have sometimes struggled with how much time and emotion I invest into all of that.
Carbon Pricing Is Necessary, But Has Limits
Carbon pricing is starting to take off globally as a key lever in the fight against global warming. However, it faces political challenges, which means it will be very unlikely to be sufficient by itself. Let’s look at a couple of case studies: British Columbia in Canada under a progressive government … [continued]
Beyond Utility 2.0: Part 2 “The Present”
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]
Are Utilities or States the Leaders in Renewable Energy & Efficiency?
Originally published at ilsr.org. A June 2014 study by Ceres highlighted the top electric utilities for renewable energy and efficiency. In an article discussing the findings, Utility Dive suggested that there are “wide disparities […] in the extent to which electric utilities currently deliver renewable energy and energy efficiency.” To … [continued]
Solar Power Can Spark A New Energy Economy
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]
Can Utility Regulators Provide Leadership on Distributed Renewable Energy?
Originally published on ilsr.org. If you’re like most renewable energy advocates that have interacted with a Public Utilities Commission, you probably don’t think they’re a repository of progressive policy toward distributed renewable energy. In general, you’re right. But it’s worth sharing a few, promising examples of Public Utilities Commissions around … [continued]
A $48 Billion Opportunity For US Electric Customers
Originally published on ilsr.org. Electricity customers in the US got good news last week. A new report from Accenture highlighted a potential revenue loss for US utilities of $48 billion per year by 2025 due to distributed solar and energy efficiency. But where does that money go? If we pursue … [continued]
