What's New
Our understanding of the global need to act, and the state of renewable energy policy and news are rapidly evolving in Oregon, nationally and internationally. This monthly resource will keep you up-to-date with what's new both in OREP and renwewable energy conversations from around the planet. These articles are further archived under the navigation menus listed in red below.
From local communities to national policy decisions, informed and engaged citizens will advance the transition to locally-owned and locally-generated clean renewable energy. We encourage you to check back regularly.
June 2015
6/30/15
RE News: Energy
Is Germany reliant on foreign nuclear power?; Craig Morris, Energy Transition, Jun 30, 2015
Germany's energy transition is not an island of its own; Ralf Fuchs, Energy Transition, Jun 29, 2015
Half of Europe's electricity set to be from renewables by 2030; Arthur Neslen, The Guardian, June 26, 2015
RE News: Solar
US Solar Electricity Production 50% Higher Than Previously Thought; Jason Kaminsky & Justin Baca, greentech: solar, June 30, 2015
Solar panels may last for 30 years; Craig Morris, Renewables International, June 1, 2015
6/29/15
RE News: Storage & Integration
Valuing Customer-Sited Solar and Storage: Is Adding Batteries Worth It?; Jason Keyes, Renewable Energy World, Jun 24, 2015
RE News: Solar
Solar Net Metering a Subsidy to Utilities?; John Farrell, Institute for Local Self-Reliance, Jun 25, 2015
Policy News: World FiT News
ACT-backed wind farm project to go ahead in Victoria; ABC News Australia, Jun 25, 2015
Hassam Allam to start construction of $80m solar project in Q1 2016; Doaa Farid, Daily News Egypt, Jun 23, 2015
City, Veridian partner in energy projects; Jason Miller, The Intelligencer, Jun 23, 2015
Environment: Society
Japan to implement solar module recycling and recovery measures; Andy Colthorpe, PV Tech, Jun 25, 2015
RE News: Energy
The German Feed-in Tariff is a Revenue-Raising Instrument, not a Subsidy; R. Andreas Kraemer, RAKraemer Blog, Jun 17, 2015
Germany to miss its renewable energy target for 2020; Craig Morris, Renewables International, Jun 10, 2015
Energiewende doesn't translate as "energy mess"; Craig Morris, Renewables International, May 28, 2015
6/26/15
RE News: Solar
Report: Solar's value is nearly 17 cents/kWh, utilities under-compensating; Robert Walton, Utility Dive, Jun 25, 2015
New York's Solar State of Mind: Resilience Through Community Engagement; Alexandra Longo, Solar Energy Power Association, Jun 25, 2015
Policy News: Utility Adaptation
Utility Ownership of the Solar PV Inverter: An alternative business model for distributed solar PV generation; James White, May 2015
6/23/15
RE News: Solar
Maine lawmakers propose groundbreaking way out of net metering wars; Herman K Trabish, Utility Dive, Jun 8, 2015
Solar panel manufacturing is greener in Europe than China, study says; Louise Lerner/DOE-Argonne National Laboratory, May 29, 2014
How the HECO-SolarCity partnership is turning rooftop solar into a grid asset; Gavin Bade, Utility Dive, Dec 2, 2014
Rooftop solar is now cheaper than the grid in 42 American cities; Herman K Trabish, Utility Dive, Jan 14, 2015
RE News: Energy
Here's what it would take for the US to run on 100% renewable energy; David Roberts, Vox, Jun 9, 2015
6/22/15
Environment: Climate
Naomi Oreskes, a Lightning Rod in a Changing Climate; Justin Gillis, New York Times, Jun 15, 2015
Policy News: Policy Innovation
Driving Blind: The Worst Examples of Outdated Data Skewing Renewable Energy Projections; Eric Gimon and Sonia Aggarwal, greentechMedia, Jun 1, 2015
6/19/15
RE News: Energy
California's Plan to Turn Distributed Energy Resources Into Grid Market Players; Jeff St. John, greentech:grid, Jun 12, 2015
Policy News: Utility Adaptation
How the e21 Initiative is building smarter utility business models in Minnesota; Herman K. Trabish, Utility Dive, Jun 18, 2015
e21 Initiative; Great Plains Initiative, 2013
6/18/15
RE News: Energy
The 100-RE Club; Amy Huva, Climate Access, May 22, 2015
Europe's energy revolution marches on: one-third of power supply now renewable; Karel Beckman, energy post, Jun 17, 2015
6/17/15
Policy News: Community RE
Growing public utility Sonoma Clean Power ousts PG&E from county; Robert Walton, Utility Dive, Jun 3, 2015
3 Sonoma County cities pull plug on PG&E; David R. Baker, San Francisco Chronicle, Jun 1, 2015
RE News: Energy | Storage & Integration
Advanced Inverter Functions to Support High levels of Distributed Solar: Policy and Regulatory Considerations; Joyce McLaren: National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Dec 11, 2014
6/15/15
Policy Basics: Reports
Public Rooftop Revolution; John Farrell & Matt Grimley, Institutue for Local Self-Reliance, June 2015
100% clean and renewable wind, water, and sunlight (WWS) all-sector energy roadmaps for the 50 United States; Mark Jacobson, Mark Delucchi, Guillaume Bazouin, et. al, Royal Society of Chemistry, May 27, 2015
6/2/15
Environment: Climate
How Europe's climate policies have led to more trees being cut down in the U.S.; Joby Warrick, The Washington Post, Jun 2, 2015
RE News: Solar
Public Rooftop Revolution Report; Rebecca Toews, Institute for Local Self-Reliance, Jun 1, 2015
RE News: Energy
New York Just Showed Every Other State How to Do Solar Right; Tim McDonnell, Mother Jones, Mar 6, 2015
Policy News: Community RE
Clean Energy Collective Brings Largest Shared Solar Solution to Washington State; Solar Novus, May 22, 2015
6/1/15
Environment: Water and Energy
Water, the West, and the Clean Power Plan; Coley Girouard, Clean Energy Collective, May 29, 2015
Environment: Climate
How climate change threatens the Western grid, and what to do about it; Herman K. Trabish, Utility Dive, May 29, 2015
RE News: Solar
What's solar worth? Inside Arizona utilities' push to reform net metering rates; Herman K. Trabish, Utility Dive, Jun 1, 2015
5/28/15
Energy News: Storage & Integration
Australia primed as heartland for battery-storage revolution; Angela Macdonald-Smith, Finacial Review, May 28, 2015
Policy News: Community RE
California Plans to Offer Free Solar Panels to Its Poorest Citizens; Rafi Schwartz, Good Magazine, May 26, 2015
New program helps low-income D.C. homeowners convert to solar energy; Mark Jenkins, The Washington Post, May 27, 2015
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OREP's Vision: Oregon communities powered by clean, renewable energy.
Note: OREP is no longer an active organization. We chose to leave our website up for the time being for the archival value it provides. 
Oregonians for Renewable Energy Progress