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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Could Minneapolis Get Cleaner Energy With a Utility Takeover?
As we spoke to legislators and activists roaming the halls of the State Capitol this past legislative session, it became increasingly clear that Xcel Energy and other utilities are calling the shots for our energy future. They decide which bills will be heard and, ultimately, which will be passed into law. Not coincidentally, a champion […]
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Are the Batteries Ready? 100% Clean Energy Requires Progress on Storage
In the long run, there’s no avoiding energy storage for a 100% renewable energy society. The two major sources of renewable power are wind and sun, and they are either fickle or reliably not available at night. The problem is that the simplest energy storage option for electricity is batteries, and this image from Wikipedia […]
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Hawaii Drives Past Solar Power Cost Barrier, Surprised by Additional Roadblocks
Solar has crossed a major threshold in Hawaii. The state’s homes and businesses can cut their electric bills with unsubsidized solar power, but are also discovering that cheap solar is not a panacea. As the tide of solar costs has receded, a number of unexpected barriers have emerged. An island state reliant on imported oil […]
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Could Securitization Democratize Solar Power?
After Wall Street popularized the term “mortgage-backed securities” in their destruction of the economy in 2008, you could be forgiven for thinking “solar securities” are a pyramid scheme. But in truth, they may hold the key to democratizing the financing and the ownership of distributed renewable energy. Right now, financing solar typically means looking for […]
