Articles by John Farrell
John Farrell is the author of Energy Self-Reliant States and a senior researcher at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, where he focuses on renewable energy policy.
All Articles
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Net metering a cost to utilities, or a benefit?
A version of this article originally appeared on ILSR’s Energy Self-Reliant States blog. Utilities often claim that allowing customers to run their meter backward (by generating electricity on-site, e.g. from rooftop solar) can affect their bottom line because these customers don’t pay enough to cover the cost of maintaining the grid. In at least one […]
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Lots of solar power may reduce, not increase, electricity prices
A version of this post originally appeared on Energy Self-Reliant States, a resource of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. Whether German feed-in tariffs or U.S. tax incentives, opponents of solar rail at its perceived high cost. But a story making rounds this week, “why power generators are terrified of solar,” presents a powerful image that […]
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Ontario feed-in tariff prices drop, Germans pay much less
A version of this post originally appeared on Energy Self-Reliant States, a resource of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. Ontario just completed a revision of their landmark feed-in tariff program and rates for renewable electricity generation and prices fell sharply: 30 percent for solar and 15 percent for wind power. This continues a trend of […]
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Solar policy can advance (or delay) grid parity by a decade
A version of this post originally appeared on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. In their interactive graphic, Bloomberg Energy Finance calls solar grid parity (when electricity from solar costs less than grid power) the “golden goal.” It’s an excellent illustration of how the right energy policy can help a nation go gold on solar or […]
