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.
Copenhagen’s Legendary Wind Park Middelgrunden at a Crossroads
By
Paul Hockenos
The world’s largest wind farm two decades ago may not survive as a co-operative. At least this is what the Danish energy industry says. The co-op’s founders remain defiant – and optimistic.
STIMULATING INVESTMENT IN COMMUNITY ENERGY: BROADENING THE OWNERSHIP OF RENEWABLES
By
Irena
Developed by the Coalition’s Community Energy Working Group, this white paper reviews measures that stimulate and sustain community energy. Although renewable energy investments by citizens and communities have gained traction in many countries, knowledge exchange on a global level has been limited. This paper fills the gap by showcasing policy measures and financing mechanisms that reflect best practices and offering recommendations to governments and financial institutions on how to accelerate community energy development and reap its benefits.
Tvindkraft: The Giant That Shook the World Turns 42
By
Paul Gipe
Guinness Book of Records is considering a new category–world’s longest running or oldest megawatt-scale wind turbine. The question was thrown at me by Britta Jensen, one of the operators of Tvindkraft in northwest Jutland. She wanted to know if they qualified.
Power to the people: why clean energy must give more Australians a slice of the pie
By
Ketan Joshi
Australians are far more welcoming of change than we expect, and are furious at having been shut out of being direct participants
Community Energy Projects Face Obstacles Despite New EU Directives
By
Paul Hockenos
Fresh EU directives have spurred new legislation across the EU to expand citizen-owned energy projects. But collective renewables still bump up against the powerful forces of traditional utilities, grid operators, and conventional energy interests.
Community Renewables International
By
Craig Morris and Rebecca Freitag
8th episode of AEE’s podcasts on community renewables. All are worth a listen. This episode exams what went wrong in Ontario.
MP helps launch Bradford Community Energy initiative
By
Tim Quantrill Chief Reporter
The scheme has been inspired by the success of over 200 community energy projects across the country and allows local residents to invest from £100 up to a maximum of £22,000 in local renewable energy projects across Bradford, with an ambition to replicate existing schemes to community-owned buildings in the district.
Sadness as community hydro project winds up after ten years
By
John Ross
A ten-year campaign to build a small hydro scheme which could have generated £130,000 a year for a Highland community has finally ran out of power.
National Community Solar Programs Tracker
By
Maria Mccoy and John Farrell
16 states have passed legislation enabling community shared solar gardens, but only four have active programs with multiple installations. This post will be updated quarterly with the number of projects and megawatts of installed capacity in each state with a formal community solar program that allows non-utility ownership. Although rural electric cooperatives have built a significant amount of community solar, the programs do not allow non-utility ownership and may differ from state-based programs that are structured to provide bill savings to customers.
