renewable electricity
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Most of the U.S. could be energy self-sufficient
With a little development elbow grease, we could be in pretty good shape for the day the energy apocalypse comes and states have to split into small self-reliant compounds. The majority of U.S. states -- 31 of the 50 -- could be completely self-sufficient with locally-produced renewable energy, according to a report from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. In fact, most states could produce many times more energy than they need. They've got South Dakota down as having the potential to produce 32,431 percent of its energy usage! (There's also a bigger map and an interactive map that is actually not all that interactive as far as I can tell.)
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31 states can be self-sufficient with local renewable energy
The following map was the headline graphic to the Institute for Local Self-Reliance’s 2009 report, Energy Self-Reliant States, unveiling the enormous potential for each state to meet its own electricity needs internally. I re-created the map for web viewing, so it’s now even easier to share how each state can meet its electricity consumption with […]
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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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San Antonio utility 'floored' by low prices, increases order to 400 MW of solar
CPS, the municipal utility in San Antonio, Texas, is making a strong play for favorite utility of the year. The utility has a 14 MW plant up and running, contracts for another 3 plants of 10 MW each, and an an oversubscribed standard offer contract program for another 10 MW. All pleasant experiences to date…so […]
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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.
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German rooftop solar price *averages* less than $4 per watt
This post originally appeared on Energy Self-Reliant States, a resource of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance’s New Rules Project. Earlier this spring I shared a graphic illustrating the dramatic fall in distributed solar PV prices in Germany, down to $4.11 per Watt installed, for rooftop systems under 100 kilowatts. As it turns out, the graphic was […]
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Geothermal power is heating up worldwide
Geothermal power has grown at just 3 percent annually over the last decade, but the pace is set to pick up substantially, with close to 9,000 megawatts of new capacity projected for 2015.