Tag: clean energy
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Republican-Led States Are Embracing Community Solar. Indiana Should Be Next.
Across the country, Republican lawmakers are charting a new course on clean energy policy—and they’re doing it with community solar. A recent Canary Media article highlights a surprising and important trend: in red states like Georgia, Missouri, Iowa and Ohio, GOP legislators are pushing for community solar programs that give residents, farmers and small businesses…
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Indiana Ranks 10th in the Nation for Solar Growth in 2024: A Bright Future for Renewable Energy
In 2024, Indiana emerged as a national leader in solar energy growth, securing the 10th spot in the United States for new solar capacity additions. This remarkable achievement underscores the state’s commitment to renewable energy and its potential to transform its energy landscape. A significant contributor to this growth is the Mammoth Solar project, located…
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Indiana’s Solar Future in Limbo? What’s Next for Solar Opportunities Indiana and Community Solar
In recent years, Indiana has witnessed growing enthusiasm for integrating solar energy into its communities, with a focus on helping ensure energy equality in low-income neighborhoods. Last year, the Solar Opportunities Indiana (SOI) program emerged as a beacon of hope, aiming to improve access to clean energy and foster environmental equality across the state. However,…
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Where can solar panels be placed? Lots of places you might not think about.
This is not a community solar story, per se, but it’s a story about how solar energy and panels can be deployed in places you might not imagine and bring unexpected benefits to neighborhoods, all the while lowering energy costs for a community itself. The Associated Press reports: Detroit is using something it has plenty…
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New Report Shows Community Solar is a Pathway to Energy Equity
A new study from Lawrence Berkeley National Labs (LBNL) illustrates the transformative potential community solar projects have to advance energy equity. The report highlights how these projects not only democratize access to clean energy but also foster significant social and economic benefits for underserved communities. For the first time, the researchers combine household-level data from…
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What Do Artificial Intelligence and Community Solar Have in Common? Consistency and Equity.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing various industries, and the solar energy sector is no exception. As solar companies strive to optimize their operations and enhance customer satisfaction, AI offers innovative solutions to predict and plan for customer needs more effectively. This technological advancement is particularly significant for community solar projects, where managing subscriber bases and…
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This Upper Peninsula Community Solar Project Is All About Community
We often hear about community solar projects located in large, urban areas—think apartment and condo buildings—but community solar can be deployed pretty much anywhere, as this recent Inside Climate News story illustrates: The solar array near the village of L’Anse has 340 panels and a generating capacity of about 110 kilowatts. It produces power for…
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Could community solar help fund local public schools?
Public school enrollment is predicted to decline in most states, including Indiana, over the next decade. Many school districts also are facing a fiscal cliff caused by the coming end of pandemic-related federal funding. Long story short: Public schools may need more money. Could small, localized community solar projects be a potential budget solution? Check…
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What do dairy cows and community solar have in common?
Community solar is going to power six locally run dairy farms in Vermont thanks to two recently completed projects developed on underutilized land. The Vermont dairy industry itself generates over $2.2 billion annually, but increasingly thin margins are leading local farmers to seek out new ways to compete without losing use of any of their…
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A familiar refrain? States are getting funding for community solar—but they might not be able to use it.
Indiana isn’t alone facing hurdles potentially deploying millions of dollars in new federal funding aimed at helping low- and middle-income households access the benefits of solar energy. Wisconsin leaders are celebrating a $62 million grant from the Biden administration to help install solar power in homes and in community projects. But there’s a catch: Those…