Local Energy Rules

An advocacy group in Boulder, Colo. has made the case for why utilities, not customers, should be responsible for the cost of retiring fossil fuel assets. For this episode of the Local Energy Rules podcast, host John Farrell speaks with Leslie Glustrom, an advocate with Clean Energy Action in Boulder. They discussed Clean Energy Action’s white paper on utility accountability and how we can equitab...

Could your bank account help your neighbor go solar? A new “virtual bank,” started by a bank in Iowa, will pay you interest to invest your deposits in Midwest solar installation. For this episode of the Local Energy Rules podcast, host John Farrell speaks with Greenpenny Vice President Jason MacDuff. Greenpenny, a program started by Decorah Bank & Trust, is a virtual bank that exclusively inve...

While ENERGY STAR® and other energy efficiency labels are familiar to many, purchasing appliances with energy saving technology is out of reach for many people. In this episode of Local Energy Rules, host John Farrell talks with Marti Frank, principal at Efficiency for Everyone and founder and director of the Shift Consortium. Frank and Farrell discuss the Shift Model: an approach that uses utilit...

To invest in energy conservation and clean energy generation is to invest in a healthier community. For this episode of the Local Energy Rules podcast, host John Farrell talks with Patrick Hanlon, Director of Environmental Programs for the Minneapolis Health Department. They discuss Green Cost Share: a program that promotes public health by matching investments in solar and energy efficiency proje...

In 2018, Portland voters showed their support for a climate action fund. Now, the city works to maintain that community support and involvement as the money is given out. For this episode of the Local Energy Rules podcast, host John Farrell speaks with Jaimes Valdez, a member of the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund startup team. They discuss steps Portland has taken to implement the 2...

In the midst of a global pandemic, online shopping behemoth Amazon has now tripled its quarterly profits. Meanwhile Seattle, the home of Amazon headquarters, suffers from a housing crisis in which the “city is becoming too expensive for nearly half of our population.” For this episode of the Local Energy Rules podcast, host John Farrell speaks with Jill Mangaliman, Executive Director of Got Green,...

Getting electricity customer-generators the compensation they deserve has been a battle in many states. Could a settlement between the utility and solar advocates squash net metering conflict for good? For this episode of the Local Energy Rules podcast, host John Farrell speaks with Thad Culley, Senior Regional Director of the Southeast at Vote Solar. They discuss a novel utility-advocate settleme...

Where do local climate and clean energy goals lie in the priority list, when the COVID-19 induced economic crisis and the crisis of racial inequality are so pressing? For this episode of our Voices of 100% series of the Local Energy Rules Podcast, host John Farrell speaks with Brandon Coan and Gretchen Milliken. Coan, who helped draft Louisville’s 100% renewable resolution, is a Metro Councilman f...

The Nov. 3rd election is behind us, though the votes are still being counted. How will the next presidential administration, whichever that may be, affect the potential for a distributed solar stimulus? For this post-Election Day episode of the Local Energy Rules podcast, John Farrell and Katie Kienbaum of ILSR’s Energy Democracy Initiative discuss the intersection between federal policy and 30 Mi...

When cities have done their part to power the community with clean electricity, the final push of the clean energy transition rests on individuals. Still, individuals can come together, pass innovative local policy, and hold themselves accountable to a clean and equitable ethos. In this episode of the Local Energy Rules Podcast, host John Farrell speaks with Ben Paulos of the Berkeley, Calif. Ener...

Florida has been hard hit by the climate change-fueled growth of hurricane season over recent decades. Despite the pressures of disastrous weather and the complications of living in a landlocked part of the state, Gainesville, Fla. leads the way to net zero emissions and 100% renewable energy. In this episode of our Voices of 100% series of the Local Energy Rules Podcast, host John Farrell speaks...

In the journey towards 100% renewable energy, utilities are often the largest variable. In this game of “will they/won’t they,” with the environmental health and economic stability of cities at stake, the push towards a more sustainable future can reveal the ugly face of monopoly utilities. In this episode of the Local Energy Rules Podcast, host John Farrell speaks with Jamie Valdez about Pueblo,...

In January 2018, Fayetteville topped headlines as the first Arkansas city to commit to 100% renewable energy. In less than 2 years, the progress Fayetteville plotted since its initial promise has made those aspirations look like a near-future reality. In this episode of our Voices of 100% series of the Local Energy Rules Podcast, host John Farrell speaks with Mayor Lioneld Jordan and Peter Niereng...

Above the earth’s surface, temperatures change with each passing season. Below-surface temperatures remain consistent and can be captured with geothermal systems. An idea has emerged that, using existing water mains, could empower more communities to take advantage of the “earth heat” trapped below. In this episode of the Local Energy Rules Podcast, host John Farrell speaks with Jay Egg, a geother...

In this episode of our Voices of 100% series of the Local Energy Rules Podcast, host John Farrell speaks with two important leaders in Missoula, Montana’s efforts to reach 100% renewable energy: City Council President Bryan von Lossberg and Missoula County Commissioner Dave Strohmaier. They discuss the city and county’s joint efforts to achieve their goal, despite the resistance from stubborn util...

In this episode of the Local Energy Rules Podcast, we feature host John Farrell’s interview with Scott Hempling for ILSR’s Building Local Power podcast. Scott Hempling is an author, expert witness, lawyer, and law professor specializing in utility regulatory issues. Their discussion covers the changing ideas around natural monopolies, the consolidation of such monopolies in recent years, and the i...

A concerted effort is growing in the Northeast to address renewable energy goals and make renewable energy accessible to everyone. Co-op Power is on the front lines, coordinating community power and constructing valuable policy resources to change legislation and the lives of many nationwide. In this episode of the Local Energy Rules Podcast, host John Farrell speaks with Lynn Benander, president...

Previous energy deserts, like the rural Tennessee Valley, have seen federally-funded utilities turn into state-owned energy monopolies. This limits cities’ abilities to prioritize clean, renewable energy on their own terms. For this episode of the Local Energy Rules Podcast, host John Farrell speaks with Maggie Shober, Director of Utility Reform for the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy. They dis...

Cities are committing to 100% clean, renewable energy regardless of their circumstances. St. Louis, despite hosting the headquarters of two coal giants, has released an ambitious clean electricity plan to help the city reach its goals. For this episode of our Voices of 100% series of the Local Energy Rules Podcast, host John Farrell speaks with Reverend Rodrick Burton and Andy Knott, both on the S...

The global pandemic has put a pause to all kinds of commerce. As wildfire season nears and climate change worsens, are solar and storage companies still preparing communities for the disasters ahead? In this episode of the Local Energy Rules podcast, host John Farrell speaks with Anne Hoskins, Chief Policy Officer at Sunrun. They discuss the benefits of distributed energy storage, how the world’s...

With city and state budgets stretched to their limits, families struggling to stay afloat, and one all-absorbing crisis on everyone’s mind, can clean energy planning proceed in a pandemic? For this episode of our Voices of 100% series of the Local Energy Rules Podcast, host John Farrell speaks with Charles Utley, Associate Director of Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League. With 50 years of grass...

Supporters of clean and affordable energy dream of neighborhoods powered by rooftop solar. In D.C., this vision is becoming reality; the district is en route to 100% renewable energy in just twelve years. In this episode of the Local Energy Rules podcast, host John Farrell speaks with Yesenia Rivera of Solar United Neighbors (SUN). Rivera was Director of D.C. SUN, but has now become Director of En...

Many cities have already proven the possibility of 100% clean, renewable electricity. For those that are still working towards this goal, patience and persistence are one way to get there. For this episode of our Voices of 100% series of the Local Energy Rules Podcast, host John Farrell speaks with Traverse City Light and Power board members Amy Shamroe and Tim Werner. Both are also city commissio...

When communities have choice, they choose their best interest: clean, affordable, and resilient energy systems. In this episode of the Local Energy Rules podcast, host John Farrell speaks with Jessie Denver, manager of the Distributed Energy Resources Program at East Bay Community Energy. Denver develops customer-side resiliency programming, including rooftop solar with batteries, for East Bay. Fa...

This week marks a milestone for the Local Energy Rules podcast: 100 episodes. Although the times are grim and uncertain, we hope you take refuge in these visions of a cleaner, more equitable future. For our 100th episode of the Local Energy Rules podcast, we compiled a highlight reel from the Voices of 100% series. This episode celebrates five cities that are working toward our vision: community-d...