Articles
All articles
Stories, analysis, and big ideas on the shift to clean, local energy.
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The U.S. government is really bad at predicting the growth in solar
It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future. — Yogi Berra At last week’s Intersolar conference in…
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How much solar would it take to power the U.S.?
Critics claim that there simply isn’t enough land in the U.S. to power the country with solar. We…
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Clean energy headlines for June 2018
Solar prices poised to take another huge plunge – China dropped a bombshell by reducing its financial support…
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Hawaii is a postcard from our electric future (Part 2)
Island power grids are a microcosm of the vastly larger grids that criss-cross the planet. In Part 1…
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How Edison’s protege made the power industry into a regulated monopoly (Part 3 of 3)
This is the third and final part in my series exploring the events that shaped the electric industry…
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1,000 solar scientists got together this week – here’s what they’re talking about
Every four years, one thousand solar scientists from across the world gather to peer into the future of…
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Islands: fruity drinks, sandy beaches, and the future of the electric grid (Part 1)
The shift to clean, local energy is a real challenge for many utilities. Their traditional planning models choke on…
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Clean energy headlines for May 2018
May was a great month for clean energy…. * A recent California mandate requires all new homes to…
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Follow the money to understand the century-old business model of electricity
Most Americans give little thought to their electricity. Even though we spend between 3% and 7% of our…
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How do you know if a microgrid makes sense for you?
Microgrids are the epitome of Local Energy. As the name suggests, microgrids are miniature versions of the big…
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AC vs DC: How better economics ultimately beat out a bizarre publicity campaign (Part 2 of 3)
This is the second in a three-part series on the origins of the modern power industry. Part 1…
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California just required solar on all new houses – will the world follow?
California just made a huge commitment to Local Energy. On May 9, California’s Energy Commission (CEC) unanimously passed…