Local Energy Rules

Minnesota’s community solar garden program may be the envy of the nation — once the utility’s stall tactics have been stopped — but it needs a little help to fulfill the vision of bringing solar to all. That’s where Julia Nerbonne, executive director of Minnesota Interfaith Power & Light, comes in. In June 2015, John Farrell talked to Nerbonne about opening up community solar for everyone — not just for people with high credit scores — and what people of faith can do about it. https://ilsr.org/articles/solar-for-all-an-article-of-faith-episode-26-of-local-energy-rules/

At the beginning of June 2015, ILSR released its Public Rooftop Revolution report, which described how cities across the nation put the shine on municipal rooftops with more than 5,000 MW of solar. That 5,000 MW is as much as one-quarter of all solar installed in the U.S. to date — and many cities could install solar little or no upfront cash. The energy savings would allow cities to redirect millions to other public goods. ILSR’s Director of Democratic Energy John Farrell presented the report’s findings in a webinar, hosted by Applied Solutions, on June 9, 2015. But time constraints meant many unanswered questions. In the first guest-hosted episode, John answers questions from Carolyn Glanton of Applied Solutions on everything from the expiration of federal tax credits to the payback period for municipal solar arrays. https://ilsr.org/articles/unanswered-questions-about-the-public-rooftop-revolution/

Kansas City, MO, has neither the abundant sunshine nor high cost of electricity that have driven solar installations in other cities. Despite this, the city has close to 1.5 MW of solar in 59 separate installations on municipal properties. Thanks to utility rebates, two department leaders, and a unique opportunity that allowed it to access the 30% federal tax credit, the city was able to make solar work in an otherwise challenging climate of modest sun and low electricity prices. In April, ILSR’s John Farrell interviewed Charles Harris, project manager with the Kansas City. Harris suggested that the project got its start in 2006, when the city established a Climate Protection Plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from municipal buildings while getting 15% of their energy from renewable sources. https://ilsr.org/articles/kansas-citys-royal-effort-to-solarize-city-rooftops/

There aren’t many solar success stories from the Southeast, making Raleigh, NC, stand out in a region with low-cost electricity and modest sunshine. With just over 2 megawatts of solar on public property––providing close to 7% of municipal building peak demand––Raleigh’s solar success comes despite state rules preventing the city from buying electricity from any non-utility entity. In April 2015, John Farrell talked to Robert Hinson, renewable energy coordinator with the City of Raleigh, NC. In lieu of third-party power purchase agreements, Raleigh has pursued solar in three ways: by leasing space on public property to solar developers; owning solar and selling power to Duke Energy; and net metering a city-owned solar array. https://ilsr.org/articles/duking-it-out-over-municipal-solar-in-raleigh/

Jason Caudle, city manager with the City of Lancaster, talked with John Farrell in April 2015 about his city’s solar boom. With more than 118 MW of solar, both private and public, operating within city limits, Lancaster is well on its way to producing or procuring 530 MW of clean energy by 2020. Hitting that target would make Lancaster one of the world’s first net-zero towns, producing more energy on an average day than the city consumes. https://ilsr.org/articles/lancaster-the-leading-solar-city-episode-23-of-local-energy-rules/

“San Diego and its community choice energy district would be able to offer a diverse energy mix with all of the solar, biodiesel, biogas, and energy storage resources that we have in San Diego.  A product that is price competitive and yet at the same time would strive for and achieve a higher level of renewable content.” See how this southern California city is striving for more clean energy and more local control in this interview with Lane Sharman, co-founder and chair of the San Diego Energy District Foundation. This podcast was recorded via Skype on May 21, 2014. https://ilsr.org/articles/price-renewables-san-diegos-fight-community-choice-episode-23-local-energy-rules/

“Utility regulation and rates is a contact sport,” says Karl Rabago, and that makes the implementation of a new “value of solar” policy complex. Will distributed solar grow better with a transparent, value-based contract price? How does it differ from net metering? Is Minnesota’s law a precedent to follow? Prepare yourself for a deep dive in this extended interview with Karl Rabago, former Vice President at Austin Energy and soon-to-be Executive Director of the Pace Energy and Climate Center at the Pace Law School in White Plains, NY. This podcast was recorded via Skype on May 1, 2014. https://ilsr.org/articles/deep-dive-solar-future-solar-energy-episode-22-local-energy-rules/

It’s one thing to own your utility and have a commitment to renewable energy, but it’s another thing to deliver. The municipal utility in Palo Alto, CA, set an ambitious target of 33% renewable energy by 2015 and to ultimately deliver a carbon neutral electricity supply. They will reach 48% renewable power in 2017 and met the carbon neutral goal starting last year. Learn more about the strategies one municipal utility pursued to drive down its carbon emissions and acquire solar energy in this interview with Jim Stack, Senior Resource Planner of the Palo Alto Utilities, recorded via Skype on Feb. 27, 2014. https://ilsr.org/articles/city-utility-carbon-neutral-today-episode-21-local-energy-rules/

“We can’t do it as an individual, But four hundred communities aggregating and asking for local wind power and solar power – that’s really powerful.” Oak Park, IL, is one of hundreds of Illinois towns using their authority to buy electricity in bulk on behalf of its residential and small business customers. So far, most communities have used the policy – known as community choice aggregation – to negotiate for less expensive electricity compared to the default electric utility, Commonwealth Edison. Many have also purchased renewable energy credits with their power, but it’s not clear if the practice is greening or green-washing the power supply. Learn more about the incremental steps forward with community choice aggregation in Illinois and the potential for much greater collaboration between cities in this interview with outgoing Sustainability Manager K.C. Doyle of Oak Park, recorded via Skype on Mar. 28, 2014. https://ilsr.org/articles/power-of-collective-energy-purchasing-episode-20-local-energy-rules/

Community choice aggregation describes a situation where a town can become the bulk buyer of electricity on behalf of its residential and small business customers. Such local aggregations serve about 5% of utility customers in Illinois, Ohio, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and California, but it’s Marin Clean Energy in California that stands above the crowd for their commitment to renewable energy and their nearly decade-long fight to offer service. Learn more about the struggle for local control of the energy system and its numerous advantages in this interview with Marin Clean Energy Executive Director Dawn Wiesz, recorded via Skype on Feb. 13, 2014. https://ilsr.org/articles/leading-community-energy-aggregator-episode-19-local-energy-rules/

“We have a perfect storm for renewables,” says Jan TenBruggencate, second-term board member of the Kauai Island Utility Cooperative. The Hawaiian utility, made local when the investor-owned utility left the business a decade ago, is surging toward 40% renewable energy in the next year, with a third of that total from customer-generated solar. Half its daytime energy will come from solar arrays by the end of 2015. Learn more about how a cooperative utility has blown past purported technical barriers to renewable energy and pioneered energy storage to make solar a prominent part of their energy mix in this interview with Jan, recorded via Skype on Feb 25, 2014. https://ilsr.org/articles/perfect-storm-renewables-episode-18-local-energy-rules/

How can a community take control of its energy future from a 100-year monopoly electric utility?  Citizens of Boulder, CO, are testing answers to that question, trying to discover how a single city can do more for its economy and the environment with more power over its energy system. At the core of their efforts is a grassroots campaign to form a city-owned utility, an effort that faced an enormous test at the ballot box in November 2013. We spoke with New Era Colorado executive director Stephen Fenberg about the grassroots campaign to fight Xcel Energy and build a better energy future via Skype on Dec. 6, 2013. https://ilsr.org/articles/communities-leverage-energy-future-episode-17-local-energy-rules/

For years, the only effective way to go solar was to have tens of thousands of dollars and a sunny roof.  Investing in solar was nearly impossible.  But a couple years ago, a new notion called crowdfunding got its start, and California-Based Mosaic was on the forefront.  Its crowdfunding program allows people to pool their resources, large or small, to build community-based solar installations.  It’s not about charity, either.  Mosaic’s pioneering crowdfunding effort is letting people across the country earn a modest return on their solar investment and putting clean local power on rooftops everywhere. We spoke with Mosaic president Billy Parish via Skype in mid-February about the potential for crowdfunding to give most Americans a chance to invest in renewable energy. https://ilsr.org/articles/millions-people-investing-solar-episode-16-local-energy-rules/

Laboring to keep more of its energy dollars at home, community members in Boulder, CO, decided that they needed some numbers behind their vision of a cleaner energy utility.  Listen in to the podcast to hear Ken Regelson describe how the remarkable results of Boulder’s citizen-driven energy model have given them power to stand up to the incumbent electric monopoly with a vision for a 21st century clean energy system. We interviewed Ken via Skype (apologies for the random construction noise) on Dec. 5, 2013. https://ilsr.org/articles/envisioning-innovative-local-electric-utility-episode-14-local-energy-rules/

“It’s the most inspirational work that I’m doing…this is an inspirational and aspirational effort…at the heart of it is love of place and energy democracy.” Citizens of Santa Fe, NM, are exploring the economic and environmental benefits of more local and locally-controlled energy production.  Is their city ready to take the lead? Find out in this interview with Executive Director Mariel Nanasi of New Energy Economy, recorded via Skype on November 22, 2013. https://ilsr.org/articles/david-goliath-fight-tap-world-class-solar-episode-14-local-energy-rules/

“We can avoid that $100 million investment in transmission lines, distribution lines, in capital infrastructure…” How can a utility like Long Island Power Authority avoid all that new capital expenditure?  Find out in this interview with Vice President of Environmental Affairs Michael Deering, recorded via Skype on November 25, 2013. https://ilsr.org/articles/solar-saves-grid-costs-episode-13-local-energy-rules/

It may be one of the oldest cooperative utilities in the country, but in the next six months, Farmers Electric Cooperative (FEC) of southeastern Iowa will be leading the nation in this 21st century energy source. Upon completion of a new solar array, the 640-member cooperative will have over 1,500 Watts of solar per customer on their system, nearly double the #2 utility. It’s also the most reliable utility in Iowa. How can this small, member-owned utility in Kalona be “America’s Most Progressive Utility”? Find out in this interview with FEC Manager Warren McKenna, recorded via Skype, on November 18, 2013. https://ilsr.org/articles/1-solar-utility-in-iowa-episode-12-local-energy-rules/

Earlier this week, the Minneapolis city council got an early look at an important “pathways study,” outlining the legal and policy strategies the city could follow toward a cleaner, more affordable, reliable, and local energy future.  It’s one of the outcomes from a robust grassroots campaign to move the city toward a better energy future this summer, and it touched a nerve with the city’s incumbent, monopoly electric utility.  In July, Xcel Energy dispatched a glossy letter to all its Minneapolis customers, warning them of the dire consequences should the city consider the boldest option – forming a city-owned utility.  ILSR Senior Researcher John Farrell explains the letter and its import in this podcast, interviewed by his colleague, Lisa Gonzalez. https://ilsr.org/articles/once-in-a-generation-achieve-citys-energy-goals-episode-11-local-energy-rules/

“A lot of the utilities don’t totally understand this new paradigm that’s coming.” David Blittersdorf of AllEarth Solar has been working to advance renewable energy in Vermont for years, and was instrumental in getting the state’s standard offer program (a feed-in tariff) passed in 2009.  He’s adamant that the state should accelerate its standard offer in order to meet its ambitious 2050 goal of getting 90% of its energy from renewable sources.  But some of the state’s utilities have balked and others don’t seem to grasp the pace that’s needed to reach the state’s targets. https://ilsr.org/articles/vermonts-standard-offer-renewable-energy-program-episode-10-local-energy-rules-podcast/

Joy Hughes was living in the San Luis Valley of Colorado, a place with a “tremendous amount of solar potential,” so good that the valley’s residents were being overwhelmed by proposals for large scale solar power plants. One had a “field of things like radar dishes” and another included a “600 foot tower.” The influx of outside companies seeking solar profit led Joy to ask, “Why not just set up solar arrays that can provide power for people in the local community and offset their electric bills?” The Solar Gardens Institute was born, with a vision of helping community members pool their resources, produce their own energy, and keep their energy dollars local. https://ilsr.org/articles/community-solar-gold-standard-episode-9-local-energy-rules-podcast/