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.
Dardesheim: Germany’s Renewable Energy Town
By
Paul Gipe
There are less than 1,000 souls in the town of Dardesheim. But the village and its 80,000 neighbors in the county of Halberstadt in the former East Germany have an expansive spirit. They want to become Germany’s renewable energy city. They want to become 100% renewable using solar, wind, and biomass.
Who Invented the Solar Feed-in Tariff (FIT)? –Or What We Can Learn From Aachen’s Success in Harnessing Clean Energy
By
Bob Johnstone
The solar industry is booming. During the past decade PV shipments have grown by three orders of magnitude. In 2010 shipments were up over a hundred percent on 2009. How to account for this explosive growth? Though success has a thousand fathers, most analysts agree that the trigger was Germany’s solar feed-in tariff, first enacted in 2000 then turbocharged in 2004. Who deserves the credit for this extraordinarily effective policy mechanism? . .
Community Power Report Calls for FITs in California
By
Paul Gipe
Suggests Feed-in Tariff Design Best Practice
Growing a Green Economy for All
By
Al Weinrub
A recent report from the Democracy Collaborative at the University of Maryland, called Growing a Green Economy for All: From …
North German State to Double Wind Energy on Land
By
Paul Gipe
Conservatives Increasing New Renewables from 50% to 100% of Electricity Highest Concentration of Wind in Germany–Most Locally Owned As Much Wind Generation as California
