OREP: What's New

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.

September 2015
9/30/15
Environment: Climate

How states can best promote clean power; Anthony F. Earley, Jr. and Bob Perciasepe, The Hill, Sep 10, 2015

Policy Basics: Presentations

Local, Regional and Global Actions for Achieving 100% Renewable Energy; Presentations by Tom Hoff (Clean Power Research), Dr. Richard Perez (University of Albany), Diane Moss (Renewables 100 Policy Institute), International Solar Energy Society, Sep 30, 2015

RE News: Energy

Mining and Burning Coal Draws Tourists in Germany; Erica Peterson, WFPL News, Sep 30, 2015

Japan: Goto City Aims to Become 'Islands of Energy' by Harnessing Offshore Wind; Junko Movellan, Renewable Energy World, Sep 30, 2015

Policy News: Utility Adaptation

Beyond Utility 2.0: Part 2 "The Present"; John Farrell, Renewable Energy World, Sep 30, 2015

9/29/15
Policy News: Community RE

IREC Comments to Oregon PUC on Community Solar Program Designs and Attributes, UM 1746; Sara Baldwin Auck, Interstate Renewable Energy Council, Sep 25, 2015

San Francisco community choice aggregation program delayed; Robert Walton, Utility Dive, Sep 29, 2015

CPS Energy tackles the cost shift by building solar on its own terms; Herman K. Trabish, Utility Dive, Sep 29, 2015

Policy News: RE Policy Innovation

Michigan lawmakers, utilities attempt to settle value of solar debate; Andy Balaskovitz, Midwest Energy News, Sep 28, 2015

RE News: Storage & Integration

Microgrids: Self-sufficient energy islands; Ethan Howland, Public Power Weekly, Sep 28, 2015

RE News: Energy

Why baseload power is doomed; Chris Nelder, GetRealList, Mar 28, 2012

9/28/15
Policy News: Utility Adaptation

Did FERC Just Smash the Biggest Roadblock to Clean, Local Power for Electric Co-ops?; John Farrell, Institute for Local Self-Reliance, Sep 28, 2015

RE News: Energy

German Coal Community Pivots To Renewable Energy; Erica Peterson, WFPL News, Sep 28, 2015

WFPL News Explores Germany's Energy Transition And What It Might Mean For Kentucky; Erica Peterson, WFPL News, Sep 27, 2015

Happy with 25 percent wind and solar? The case of Italy and Spain; Craig Morris, the energiewende blog, Sep 9, 2015

Policy News: World FiT News

METI panel to pressure power producers stalking feed-in tariff program; The Japan Times, Sep 27, 2015

Soaring renewable energy generation having little impact on energy prices, DECC figures show; Liam Stoker, Solar Power Portal, Sep 25, 2015,

Zambia: renewable energy feed-in tariff at final stages; Nicolette Pombo-van Zyl, ESI Africa, Sep 23, 2015

ACT government deem solar scheme a success despite slowing growth; Henry Belot & Emma Kelly, The Canberra Times, Sep 23, 2015

Policy News: Community RE

International Symposium on Community Power Held During hte Husum Wind Fair; World Wind Energy Association, Sep 23, 2015

9/25/15
RE News: Storage & Integration

Duke Energy looks to create business opportunity from storage backup and microgrids; John Downey, Charlotte Business Journal, Sep 24, 2015

9/24/15
RE News: Storage & Integration

How aggregated storage can help utilities create a 'new kind of demand response'; Robert Walton, Utility Dive, Sep 23, 2015

RE News: Energy

Climate Change Could Put Tribes' Electric Systems at Risk; Bobby Magill, Climate Central, Sep 8, 2015

Idaho Cuts Solar and Wind Contracts to Two Years; Susan Kraemer, Renewable Energy World, Sep 22, 2015

9/23/15
RE News: Storage & Integration

Inside Southern California Edison's energy storage strategy; Gavin lade, Utility Dive, Sep 22, 2015

Portland General Electric could join CAISO Energy Imbalance Market; Herman K. Trabish, Utility Dive, Sep 22, 2015

Environment: Climate

Washington state rules target greenhouse gases; Becky Kramer, The Spokesman-Review, Sep 22, 2015

New Study Uncovers Bias in PacifiCorp Resource Planning at Customer Expense; Shane Levy, Sierra Club, Sep 22, 2015

Policy Basics: Presentations

CESA Webinar: Federal Residential Tax Credit Eligibility for Community Solar Owners; Clean Energy States Alliance, Sep 22, 2015

Policy News: Community RE

Green Mountain Power launches Vermont 'solar sharing' program; Robert Walton, Utility Dive, Sep 22, 2015

Policy News: Utility Adaptation

A good rate design is hard to find: Experts push utility-solar compromise; Herman K. Trabish, Utility Dive, Sep 21, 2015

9/21/15
Policy News: US FiT News

Is California's Net Metering 2.0 a Solar Tax Risk?; Jeff St. John, greentechSolar, Sep 21, 2015

Policy News: World FiT News

Boris Johnson speaks out against government plans to cut solar subsidies; Terry Macalister, The Guardian, Sep 17, 2015

Time for feed-in tariff to boost renewable energy; Star Business Report, The Daily Star, Sep 16, 2015

Policy News: Utility Adaptation

Reimagining electric utilities for the 21st century; David Roberts, Vox, Sep 11, 2015

RE News: Energy

Energy Revolution; Dr Sven Teske, Steve Sawyer & Oliver Schäfer, Greenpeace, Sep 21, 2015
Executive Summary | Fact Sheet

9/18/15
RE News: Solar

How cheap can solar get? Very cheap indeed; Ramez Naam, Energy Transition, Sep 14, 2015

9/17/15
Policy News: World FiT News

Independent Electricity System Operator (Ontario), FiT/MicroFiT Price Schedule for 2016; IESO, Toronto, Ontario, Sep 17, 2015

RE News: Storage & Integration

Tesla battery storage tapped for Texas' first community solar project; Robert Walton, Utility Dive, Sep16, 2015

Virtual power plants: Moving beyond demand response to an integrated solution; Robert Walton, Utility Dive, Sep 16, 2015

RE News: Energy

Tracking the Energy Revolution|Canada 2015; Clean Energy Canada, Sept 2015

Environment: Society

Climate Change Threatens Electric Grid Reliability in the Southeast; Myriam Alexander-Kearns, Center for American Progress, Sep 15, 2015

Policy News: RE Policy Innovation

Florida Courts Now Set to Weigh Two Competing Solar Ballots: An update on state-level clean energy news from around the country; Julia Pyper, greentechMedia, Sep 15, 2015

9/15/15
Policy News: Utility Adaptation

The Future of Utilities: Exinction or Re-Invention? A Transatlantic Perspective; Susanne Fratzscher, Henrich Böll Stiftung, May 2015

RE News: Energy

Renewable Energy's Potential May Be Understated; Gabriel Kahn, Wall Street Journal, Sep 13, 2015

Steve Holliday, CEO National Grid: "The idea of large power stations for baseload is outdated"; Karel Beckman, energy post, Sep 11, 2015

World FiT News

Queensland, Victoria look to reverse falls in solar feed-in tariffs; Giles Parkinson, REnew Economy, Sep 11, 2015

9/14/15
RE News: Solar

Why the installed price of distributed solar keeps dropping; Herman K. Trabish, Utility Dive, Sep 10, 2015

RE News: Storage & Integration

Adobe earns money from California grid-balancing in aggregated storage pilot; Andy Colthorpe, PVTech:Storage, Sep 08, 2015

Value of Battery-Backed Solar in California: 25 Cents per Kilowatt-Hour; Jeff St. John, greentechGrid, Sep 4, 2015

Beyond batteries: The diverse technologies vying for the bulk storage market; Herman K. Trabish, Utility Dive, Sep 14, 2015

9/9/15
Policy News: Utility Adaptation

How Massachusetts utilities plan to modernize their grids and rate designs; Robert Walton, Utility Dive, Sep 9, 2015

9/8/15
Policy News: RE Policy Innovation

The Federal Solar Tax Credit Extension: Can We Win if We Lose?; John Farrell, Institute for Local Self-Reliance, Sep 2, 2015

Value of Battery-Backed Solar in California: 25 Cents per Kilowatt-Hour; Jeff St. John, greentechGrid, Sep 4, 2015

9/3/15
Policy News: Community RE

Group says IRS ruling could promote community solar projects; Wilson Ring, Associated Press, Sep 2, 2015

8/31/15
Policy News: World FiT News

Anaerobic digestion industry fears 'disastrous' consequences of feed-in tariff review; Jessica Shankleman, businessGreen, Aug 28, 2015

Feed-in Tariffs; Feed-In Tariffs Ltd. (Information resource for the UK)

A Canadian Province Has Killed a Renewable Energy Program That Was the First of Its Kind; Hilary Beaumont, VICE News, Aug 20, 2015

Policy News: Utility Adaptation

As regulators act, Nevada net metering debate takes center stage at Las Vegas conference; Herman K. Trabish, Utility Dive, Aug 31, 2015

5 Reasons Utilities Are Hating on Their Solar-Producing Customers; John Farrell, HuffPost Green, Aug 25, 2015

How Edison uses water to store excess power; Ivan Penn, Los Angeles Times, Aug 22, 2015

Questioning Solar Energy Economies of Scale, 2014 Edition; John Farrell, Institute for Local Self-Reliance, Aug 20, 2015

Toward a 21st Century Electricity System in California; Advanced Energy Economy Institute, Aug 11, 2015

RE News: Energy

How the European power sector copes during the heat wave; Craig Morris, Energy Transition, Aug 26, 2015

How France could go nearly 100 percent renewable; Craig Morris, Energy Transition, Aug 20, 2015
negawatt Association: English Presentation

The negaWatt 2050 Scenario: Executive Summary; Association negaWatt, July 2013

Germany Struggles With Too Much Renewable Energy; Gaurav Agnihotri, Real Clear Energy, Aug 18, 2015

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OREP's Vision: Oregon communities powered by clean, renewable energy.