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.
July 2015
7/31/15
RE News: Storage & Integration
Beyond Energy: Making the Distributed Grid 'Capacity-Efficient'; Jeff St. John, greentechGrid, July 28, 2015
RE News: Energy
Renewables briefly covered 78 percent of German electricity; Craig Morris, Energy Transition, Jul 28, 2015
Coal power down, renewables up in Germany; Craig Morris, Renewables International, Jul 2, 2015
Policy News: World FiT News
Solar power tariff will reach grid parity by 2017-18: India Ratings; M Allirajan, The Times of India, Jul 23, 2015
7/29/15
Policy News: Utility Adaptation
NY regulators propose groundbreaking new utility models under landmark REV order; Davide Savenije, Utility Dive, Jul 29, 2015
Inside SoCal Edison's Plan to Open Its Grid to Distributed Energy; Jeff St. John, greentechGrid, Jul 1, 2015
Inside the REV: Audrey Zibelman's bold plan to transform New York's electricity market; Davide Savenije, Utility Dive, Nov 3, 2014
RE News: Storage & Integration
Why the future of microgrids won't look like the past; Robert Walton, Utility Dive, Jul 29, 2015
What Mayors and City Leaders Need to Know about Community Microgrids; Elisa Wood, MicrogridKnowledge, Jun 17, 2015
7/28/15
Policy News: Utility Adaptation
Freedom to Generate: Alternatives to the 'Value of Solar' formula; John Farrell & Karl Rabago, Institute for Local Self Reliance webinar, July 8, 2015
Is Socialism What's Stopping a Fair Value for Solar?; John Farrell, Institute for Local Self Reliance, Jul 21, 2015
Policy News: RE Policy Innovation
Minnesota Values Solar Generation with New "Value of Solar" Tariff; Karlynn Cory, National Renewable Energy Lab, Oct 3, 2014
Policy News: Community Renewables
NRG Energy Launches a Community Solar Business With 100MW in the Pipeline; Julia Pyper, greentechSolar, Jul 27, 2015
Environment: Society
Migratory Bird Policy Casts Shadow Over Large-Scale Solar; SvendBrandt-Erichsen & Andrew Bell, Solar Industry Magazine, July 2015
Act Now to Handle the Coming Wave of Toxic PV Waste; Dustin Mulvaney, Solar Industry Magazine, July 2015
7/23/15
Policy News: Utility Adaptation
The Western US Needs Better Regional Planning to Modernize the Grid; Michael O'Boyle, greentechGrid, July 23, 2015
Assessing the costs and benefits of distributed energy to the grid of the future; Herman K Trabish, Utility Dive, July 21, 2015
Utility Solar May Cost Less, But It's Also Worth Less; John Farrell, Institute for Local Self-Reliance, Jul 17, 2015
The Integrated Grid: A Benefit-Cost Framework; Electric Power Research Institute, Feb 12, 2015
Policy News: Community RE
New York's new community net metering makes solar accessible; Amanda H. Miller, Clean Energy Authority, Jul 20, 2015
Environment: Water and Energy
ODFW takes action to help native fish; Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife, Jul 16, 2015
7/22/15
Policy News: Utility Adaptation
The True Cost of Coal: Fully accounting for coal-fired electricity use in the 7th Northwest Power and Conservation Plan; Energy Strategies & NW Energy Coalition, July 2015
Inside Hawaii's landmark regulatory proceeding to value distributed resources; Herman K Trabish, Utility Dive, July 21, 2015
SDG&E Proposes a 'Bring-Your-Own-Battery' Tariff; Jeff St. John, greentechGrid, July 14, 2015
7/21/15
Policy News: Utility Adaptation
Comments to PUC on Investigation to Determine the Resource Value of Solar; Ray Neff, Kathleen Newman, Mark Pengilly & Matthew Shane, OREP, July 20, 2015
[Appendix: Oregon Attorney General-Opinion on Externalized Costs of Energy, April, 1992]
Policy News: Community Solar
New software offerings helps utilities boost community solar programs; Herman K Trabish, Utility Dive, July 16, 2015
7/7/15
Policy News: Utility Adaptation
Breaking: California Reaches Compromise on Utility Residential Rate Reform; Jeff St. John, greentechMedia, July 3, 2015
e21 Initiative; Great Plains Institute for Sustainable Development (MN), 2013
RE News: Energy
Plan launched to prevent critical climate change by making green energy cheaper than coal; Steve Connor, The Independent, June 2, 2015
7/3/15
Policy News: Utility Adaptation
SolarCity seeks utility partners for grid modernization programs; Herman K. Trabish, Utility Dive, Jun 23, 2015
SolarCity reaches out to rival utilities; Bill Loveless, USA TODAY, Jun 21, 2015
Environment: Society
Report: Georgia No. 1 for clean energy jobs; Carla Caldwell, Atlanta Business Chronicle, Jul 1, 2015
RE News: Wind
Winds of change as Ethiopia harnesses green power; Karim Lebhour, Yahoo News, Jun 28, 2015
RE News: Solar
Cheapest Solar Ever: Austin Energy Gets 1.2 Gigawatts of Solar Bids for Less Than 4 Cents; Stephen Lacey, greentechSolar, Jun 30, 2015
Report: Shining Rewards: The Value of Rooftop Solar Power for Consumers and Society; Environment America Research & Policy Center, Jun 24, 2015
7/1/15
RE News: Storage & Integration
Should Utilities Own Distributed Battery Storage?; Michael O'Boyle & Sonia Aggarwal; greentechGrid, Jun 29, 2015
RE News: Solar
Why are US Residential Solar Soft Costs So High?; Deep Chakraborty, SolarNovus, Jun 22, 2015
Policy News: Utility Adaptation
New York Gov. Cuomo releases REV roadmap, seeks deep GHG cuts; Herman K. Trabish, Utility Dive, Jun 29, 2015
With '15 energy plan, N.Y. bids to become cleanest energy state in U.S.; Colin Sullivan, E&E Publishing, Jun 26, 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, greentechSolar, June 30, 2015
Solar panels may last for 30 years; Craig Morris, Renewables International, June 1, 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