distributed energy
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The Political and Technical Advantages of Distributed Renewable Power
A serialized version of ILSR‘s new report, Democratizing the Electricity System, Part 3 of 5. Click for Part 1 or Part 2. The Political and Technical Advantages of Distributed Generation While technology has helped change the economics of electricity production (in favor of renewables and distributed generation), this new dynamic can as easily be controlled […]
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The Economics of Distributed Renewable Power
A serialized version of ILSR‘s new report, Democratizing the Electricity System, Part 2 of 5. Click for Part 1. The Economics of Distributed Generation The falling cost of distributed renewable generation has been one of the key drivers of the transformation of the U.S. electric grid. The following chart illustrates the cost of power generation […]
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Utilities cash in when you go solar
Net metering offers a lot to utilities and very little to ratepayers and solar array owners.
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Banks inflate solar value for tax credit
Solar leasing has broadened participation in the distributed generation revolution. Unfortunately, this revolution has been co-opted by high finance.
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When is it time to break up with your utility?
Boulder ends its franchise agreement with Xcel Energy and looks into independent, renewable options instead.
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500 MW of distributed solar could have prevented blackout that affected 55 million
The massive blackout of 2003, which affected 45 million people in the northeast United States and 10 million more in Ontario, could have been prevented by just 500 megawatts of distributed solar, says John Farrell of the Institute for Local Self Reliance. For reference, California installed almost 200 megawatts of distributed solar in 2010 alone.
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For U.S. electricity, bigger isn't better
The United States doesn't need another nuclear or coal power plant. It's time to abandon our 20th-century electricity system for wind and solar power.
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New York City's massive solar opportunity
Solar power on New York City rooftops would provide half the city's peak power and lower residents' electricity bills.
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Do we have to choose between big or small clean energy projects?
The choice comes from the reality that financial resources are limited, the system of regulations and incentives are skewed toward big, centralized solutions, and choosing one strategy (long-distance transmission of centralized generation) necessarily reduces the money available and future prospects for expanded distributed generation.