Tag: solar energy
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Empowering Advocates: How to Talk about Independent Community Solar to Counter Anti-Consumer Monopoly Messaging
As momentum for clean energy grows, community solar programs have emerged as a powerful tool for reducing energy costs and promoting sustainable practices. However, monopoly utility companies often present significant challenges, using their influence to block access to these beneficial programs. It is crucial for advocates to help policymakers understand the value and mechanics of…
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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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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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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…
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Stateline.org: “Can’t install your own solar panels? Some areas let you join a community project.”
Recent news article makes the clear case why Indiana needs independent community solar here.
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Columbus Republic: “Grant will energize an array of solar in Columbus”
Indiana received welcome news on Earth Day this year that our state will soon receive more than $100 million in federal funding to help bring solar energy to low- and middle-income Hoosiers. This recent editorial in the Columbus Republic sums up why this funding is so important for the future of our state: Solar power…
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WRTV: “City of Indianapolis expanding access to solar energy through federal grants”
WRTV in Indianapolis recently ran a great story about how Indiana’s funding from the Solar for All program will be used by the city to build a community solar on the Southeast side: “The main idea of community solar is that it creates equitable access to solar projects,” Lindsay Trameri with the Indianapolis Office of…
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Friday Flashback to Indiana Renewable Energy Day: Munster Environmental Club Advocates for Community Solar
Remember back in February when the Indiana Statehouse positively buzzed with energy – the renewable kind! Indiana’s Renewable Energy Day was in full swing, and the enthusiasm and determination of activists from across the state was infectious. A group of young people who made the trek from Northwest Indiana weren’t just there to check a…