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.
August 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
8/28/15
Policy News: Utility Adaptation
SolarCity wants to help utilities plan better for distributed resources; Herman K. Trabish, Utility Dive, Aug 27, 2015
Report: New York REV initiative leaving out low income customers; Robert Walton, Utility Dive, Aug 28, 2015
8/26/15
Policy Basics: Oregon FiT Resources
PUC Order: Extension of the Distribution Process, Capacity Allocation, and Volumetric Rates for the Remainder of the Solar Pilot Program to March 31, 2016; Oregon Public Utility Commission, Aug 26, 2015
RE News: Energy
Five Things Northwest States Should Know about the Federal Clean Power Plan; Kristin Eberhard, Sightline Daily, Aug 26, 2015
President Obama calls for clean energy revolution: 'There is something big happening in America'; Herman K Trabish, Utility Dive, Aug 25, 2015
Wind Power Wins Big Under the Clean Power Plan; Bentham Paulos, greentechMedia, Aug 25, 2015
Policy News: Utility Adaptation
How will utilities profit in the future? New York's REV initiative is trying to figure it out; Robert Walton, Utility Dive, Aug 26, 2015
8/20/15
Policy News: Utility Adaptation | Policy Basics: Reports
PGE Distributed Solar Valuation Methodology; Benjamin Hoff, Clean Power Research, Jul 13, 2015
Maine Distributed Solar Valuation Study; Norris, B., Gruenhagen, P., Grace, R., Yuen, P., Perez, R., Rábago, K., Mar 1, 2015
Net Metering in Missouri: The Benefits and the Costs; Missouri Energy Initiative, Winter 2015
Net Metering in Mississippi; Stanton, E. A., Daniel, J., Vitolo, T., Knight, P., White, D., Keith, G., Synapse Energy Economics, Inc, Sep 19, 2014
Nevada Net Energy Metering Impacts Evaluation; Energy and Environmental Economics, Inc, July, 2014
Minnesota Value of Solar: Methodology; Clean Power Research, Jan 30, 2014
Evaluation of Net Metering in Vermont Conducted Pursuant to Act 125 of 2012; Public Service Department, Jan 15, 2013
Policy Basics: Presentations
Load Defection: How Solar+Storage Will Change The World; Clean Energy Group, Aug 20, 2015
8/19/15
Policy News: Community Renewables
Shared Solar: Current Landscape, Market Potential, and the Impact of Federal Securities Regulation; David Feldman, Anna M. Brockway, Elaine Ulrich, and Robert Margolis, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Apr 2015
Community Shared Solar: Policy and Regulatory Considerations; National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Sep 2014
8/18/15
Policy News: US FiT News
Big Island's Hawaiian Ocean View Estates to get major solar farm; Duane Shimogawa, Pacific Business News, Aug 12, 2015
Policy News: World FiT News
Doncaster Council eyes 6,000 more solar council homes; Liam Stoker, Solar Power Portal, Aug 17, 2015
Egypt to seek bids for solar and wind-power projects; LeAnne Graves, The National, Aug 12, 2015
France Launches Tender For Floating Wind Farm — World's First; Sophie Vorrath, CleanTechnica, Aug 10, 2015
Province scraps COMFIT; JoAnn Alberstat, The Chronicle Herald, Aug 6, 2015
8/17/15
Policy News: Utility Adapatation
A Revolutionary Roadmap for California's Distributed Energy Future; Jeff St. John, greentechGrid, Aug 11, 2015
Toward a 21st Century Electricity System in California; Advanced Energy Economy Institute, Feb 2015
Why fixed charges are a false fix to the utility industry's solar challenges; James Tong & Jon Wellinghoff, Utility Dive, Feb 13, 2015
Policy News: World FiT News
Egypt Stands Out as an Attractive PV Development Market in a Difficult Region; Alex Jost, Solar Industry, Aug 2015
RE News: Solar
If You Can't Beat 'Em, Own 'Em—Utilities Muscle in to Rooftop Solar Market; John Farrell, Institute for Local Self-Reliance, Aug 11, 2015
RE News: Energy
Nuclear Power Industry Still Has an Unclear Future; Henry Hewitt, greentechMedia, August 14, 2015
Germany's next nuclear plant closes for good; Craig Morris, Energy Transition, Jun 26, 2015
8/13/15
RE News: Solar
U.S. Distributed Solar Prices Fell 10 to 20 Percent in 2014, with Trends Continuing into 2015; Jon Weiner, Berkeley Lab, Aug 12, 2015
8/12/15
About Us: Activity
UM 1746 Response Final Joint Submission; OREP, Northwest SEED, Renewable Northwest, et. al., Aug 7, 2015
RE News: Energy
Will the Clean Power Plan actually change anything in the power sector?; Gavin Blade, Utility Dive, Aug 7, 2015
8/6/15
RE News: Energy
The other death spiral utilities are beginning to deal with; Herman K. Trabish, Utility Dive, Aug 6, 2015
Policy News: World FiT News
New charts for 2015 – and evidence that the cost debate is over; Craig Morris, Energy Transition, Aug 6, 2015
8/5/15
Environment: Climate | Policy News: Utility Adaptation
Devil's in the details: What's in the EPA's final Clean Power Plan; Gavin Blade, Utility Dive, Aug 5, 2015
How Obama's Clean Power Plan actually works — a step-by-step guide; Brad Plumer, Vox, Aug 5, 2015
The President's Hard Carbon Emissions Push; John Donvan (Host), OnPoint, Aug 4, 2015
E&E's Power Plan Hub; E&E Publishing, 2015
8/4/15
Environment: Society
Get Ready for Ugly as Markets Begin to Deal With Climate Crisis; Carl Pope, EcoWatch, Jul 28, 2015
People Will Remember Shell Oil As a Symbol of Planet-Destroying Greed; Bill McKibben, The Nation, Jul 31, 2015
Policy News: Utility Adaptation
Missouri regulators open proceeding on decoupling utility sales, profits; Robert Walton, Utility Dive, Jul 31, 2015
8/3/15
Policy News: Community RE
Inside New York's aggressive new community shared renewables program; Herman K. Trabish, Utility Dive, Jul 30, 2015
Why solar for low-income communities?; Community Power Network
Policy News: World FiT News
France boosts tariffs for small biogas, PV projects; Mariyana Yaneva, SeeNews: Renewables, Jul 31, 2015
RE News: Energy
White House toughens clean power targets, tweaks CCS terms; Emily Holden and Jean Chemnick, E&E Publishing, Aug 2, 2015
Obama admin. finalizes Clean Power Plan: Deeper CO2 cuts, more time to comply;
Gavin Bade, Utility Dive, Aug 3, 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
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OREP's Vision: Oregon communities powered by clean, renewable energy.