That outdated business models, conflicting interests, and aging technologies hogtie today’s behemoth electric utilities is no more evident than in the picturesque rural community of Taos, New Mexico. It is there that an inspired and tenacious collection of local energy champions have upended the sluggish pace of change that is the “business as usual” of many utilities.
Imagine a neighborhood powered entirely by local energy. Shared solar panels, energy efficient homes, and community batteries to power houses at night. Even when the
Island power grids are a microcosm of the vastly larger grids that criss-cross the planet. In Part 1 of this series, we looked at how
The shift to clean, local energy is a real challenge for many utilities. Their traditional planning models choke on the variability of solar and wind power. Self-generation
California just made a huge commitment to Local Energy. On May 9, California’s Energy Commission (CEC) unanimously passed a groundbreaking new building standard. Starting in 2020,
It was the summer of 2012 and the Mid-Atlantic was being pummeled by one of the worst storms in years. This was the second summer
The dirty secret of power plants Every time we turn on a light, crank up the air conditioning or wash our clothes, we are using
Local energy is the fastest path to cleaner, cheaper, more reliable power. Nowhere is this truer than Africa. And, few people express the amazing future
(Reading time: 4 minutes) Ask most experts and they’ll tell you that local energy systems like microgrids and community solar can be expensive and tough to
On September 6, 2017, Hurricane Irma hit Puerto Rico and left a million people without power. Two weeks later, on September 20, Hurricane Maria finished
Electricity powers nearly every aspect of our modern, convenient lives. It’s so pervasive and easy that most of us take it for granted. But just
What if I told you the U.S. city blazing the local energy trail has a population of 2,800 and relies on sheep to cut the
On my recent trip to Africa, Jacqueline Novogratz, the CEO of the anti-poverty organization, Acumen, shared something she’d heard from a woman in Pakistan… Off-grid
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