Putting the news in context sometimes requires a beat and a pinpoint. In this column, CEFF's editor focuses on how local officials responding to local pressures govern how far and how fast renewable projects can deploy in any economic context.
(Photo by Don and Suzan Weller, via Flickr Creative Commons.) As the sun sets over Waterford, CT, an expert proposes a price floor in wholesale electricity markets.
As New England states progress towards decarbonization goals, the electricity spot market will see offers from solar and wind generators that incur no marginal cost. That can harm reliability and put some operators hastily out of business. To retain existing resources and the stability they bring, we need to set...
Installations from the Connecticut Green Bank's Posigen program in Bridgeport, CT / Courtesy of Connecticut Green Bank
In an interview with CEFF, the Connecticut
unveiled its plans to bring to market approximately $15 to 20 million of new $1,000 face value “Green Liberty Bonds” around April 22, in recognition of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. In a twist, the new bonds will be available...
Regulatory changes to the Securities Act in 2016 enabled crowdinvesting, an idea that can usher in a new era of inclusive project finance, ripe to transform the clean energy industry. We need to envision a democratized clean energy future, with renewable energy and climate solution projects originated and owned by...
A new player is entering the fold in New England’s burgeoning offshore wind sector. After years of testing the waters, Connecticut has finally jumped into the offshore wind game with a recently passed target of 2,000 megawatts by 2030. On June 4, the state legislature approved a bill establishing the...
Electric vehicle charging / Automotive Rhythms / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Research on California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard program suggests the LCFS program design of capacity-based credits has the potential to increase EV deployment, but that some unanswered questions need to be addressed before the point-of-sale rebate program can do the same.
Solarize is a unique community-based program that leverages peers and social networks to encourage residential solar adoption through a group pricing strategy. Solarize campaigns spread the knowledge of solar benefits through social networks and engage strong volunteer leadership (“solar ambassadors”) who are passionate about solar energy.
Vastly higher clean energy targets are essential to empower the international community to make the leap to a sustainable future, according to Richard Heinberg, coauthor of “Our Renewable Future: Laying the Path for One Hundred Percent Clean Energy.” In this interview, he delves into the practical challenges involved in the...
Developers in the United States believe that there is still room to maintain an adequate level of return for their power-purchase agreements (PPAs). Electricity prices in recent years have plummeted both for PPAs and in the wholesale market. Even so, developers believe that they can benefit from the expected decrease...
“There are no jobs on a dead planet,” said Sharan Burrow, general secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation. Burrow is vice-chair of The B Team, a coalition of business and civil society leaders that was founded by Richard Branson and Jochen Zeitz. In an attempt to address the dual...