News & Articles on Community Power
Developing renewable energy on the scale needed to make the energy transition will require public acceptance. Unlike nuclear power, where society can force a single plant on a community for the benefit of society at large, renewable energy will have to become ubiquitous in our communities and on our landscapes. This can only be possible when the majority accept this transformation. Experience has taught that acceptance is greatest when neighbors and the community at large can participate in the renewable energy revolution. The beauty of renewable energy is that everyone can take part–and own a stake in their future–when given an opportunity to do so. The challenge is creating the policies that make this possible, whether it’s for a community wind project or a solar garden.
Le Parc éolien Pierre-De Saurel
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Le Parc éolien Pierre-De Saurel est un projet 100 % communautaire résolument tourné vers le développement durable. Il permettra de diversifier les sources de revenus de la MRC et de vitaliser l’ensemble du territoire. . .
Putting the Energy Transition into the Hands of Citizens
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Charter for the campaign to put control of Germany’s Engergiwende into the hands of the people. . .
Saskatoon Community Wind
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We are a community-led initiative. We want to build a 10-turbine wind farm which will be developed and owned by thousands of individuals from the Saskatoon region.
Write to your MP to demand a decent deal for community renewables!
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Dave Toke
You can see some arguments in favour of a ‘Fixed’ Feed-in Tariff on the FOE website, http://www.foe.co.uk/blog/energy_bill_will_give_more_38654.html, and a report I wrote for Friends of the Earth on http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/briefings/david_toke_fits.pdf. There are other arguments to suggest that sooner or later we will need a Fixed FIT, and that CfDs need to be replaced. . .
IGov: Something stirring down on the farm
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Matthew Lockwood
Out of sight of the mass of people living in towns and cities, a quiet revolution is underway in the British countryside as more and more farmers are investing in renewable energy. According to the National Farmers Union, one in five of its members had produced clean electricity from solar or wind by the end of 2012. Between 2011 and 2012 there was a 28% increase in the number of biogas plants, capable of providing both renewable electricity and heat from farm waste. . .
Sierra Magazine Discovers Community Power
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Paul Gipe
The magazine of the Sierra Club, the largest grassroots environmental group in the US, laudably featured community solar in a recent issue, but they missed the broader picture. . .
Renewables International: Community ownership of grids
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Craig Morris
The government of the northernmost German state of Schleswig-Holstein and grid operator Tennet have launched a unique project to combat NIMBYism against new power lines. Now, citizens will be able to purchase shares of new power lines along the western coast. The project is the first implementation of a proposal made by German Environmental Minister Peter Altmaier last fall.
University of Oregon: Community Solar Tool
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Thinking about starting a community solar project? No matter what your project’s stage of development, the Community Solar Tool (CST) can help you. . .
Nordfriesland–Germany’s Community Wind Capital
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Paul Gipe
The model community of Friedrich-Wilhelm-Lübke-Koog is located within the kreis or county of Nordfriesland in the North German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Nordfriesland has 166,000 inhabitants within its 2,050 square kilometers. . .
