“I realized the same economic laws that drove the prices of computers, of internet bandwidth, and storage, those same laws, in different ways, were driving down the price of solar and batteries.”
Bill Nussey
John Farrell is a co-director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) and directs the Energy Democracy Initiative. He is also the host of the Local Energy Rules Podcast. You can listen to the discussion with Bill directly from ILSR’s podcast player here:
You can see the ILSR podcast episode webpage for more information on this great interview as well as ILSR’s array of resources and reports on local energy.
John Farrell is the father of the phrase, “local energy.” While he was not the first person to use it, he popularized it. His 2016 report, “Is Bigger Best in Renewable Energy” was the first time Bill had seen a clearly laid-out argument that large scale solar and wind are not cheaper than small-scale rooftop and commercial solar installations. It changed the course of Bill’s thinking and became the primary message and mission of Freeing Energy.
Bill interviewed John for the Freeing Energy book. And, John has been a guest for a two-episode deep dive on the Freeing Energy podcast: Podcast 057: John Farrell – Monopoly utilities and consumers are headed for a collision over local energy. The rules must change, but how? Last, but not least, John is also a #HeroesofFreeingEnergy: John Farrell.
For more information
- Read ILSR’s report on the limits to economies of scale in renewable energy.
- Read John Farrell’s article on the free delivery farce in solar.
- See a summary of the speeches and interviews Bill has given on local energy.
- For more information about the Freeing Energy book, check out the Freeing Energy website. The book is available for order on Amazon today.
