By Kim Riley, Daily Energy Insider
U.S. electric utility companies plan new or additional renewable energy investments, particularly in solar, thanks to the enacted Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, which retained renewable energy development incentives, according to industry analysts . . . Among the many shared renewable energy models is the utility-sponsored model in which utilities provide customers with the option to purchase renewable energy from a shared facility at a fixed rate (which might be a bit higher than the current retail rate) for a set term (usually a number of years, say 10 or 20 years) that’s designed to provide protection and stability against rising rates for grid electricity, SEIA says. Brian Newton, city administrator and general utility manager for the City of Fremont, Neb., convinced local officials and residents with tweaks to the utility-sponsored model that the adoption of renewable energy was a smart choice for their rural town, which is located about 35 miles northwest of Omaha, population roughly 27,000. Read more here.
Photo Courtesy of Troy Schaben, Assistant City Administrator, Fremont Department of Utilities: Fremont’s First Solar Farm. The city’s second solar farm is being built by GenPro Energy Solutions.
RELATED READING
Fremont moves forward on second solar farm due to high demand, by James Farrell, Fremont Tribune
FREE RESOURCES
- Smart Electric Power Alliance Webinar: Avoiding the Growing Pains of Community Solar
- SEPA Case Study: Inside the City of Fremont, Nebraska’s Community Solar Program
Based on multiple interviews with citizens of Fremont, Nebraska, this case study describes how program design and a latent demand for solar power led to selling out the 1.5 MW solar farm in seven weeks. This case study also includes insight into the commercial and industrial demand in small town Nebraska.
ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDED READING
- Illinois Blazes New Trail for Private Microgrids Using Utility Wires, Renewable Energy World
- Illinois Project Opens the Door for Non-Utility-Owned Microgrids, Environmental Defense Fund
- WattTime: A 2018 World Changing Idea, RMI Newsletter
WattTime, a Rocky Mountain Institute subsidiary organization, has been honored by Fast Company as one of the finalists for the World Changing Ideas Awards. Out of 1,400 submissions, 240 entries made it to the final round of judging. View the full list of 2018 World Changing Ideas Award finalists, and learn more about how WattTime’s automated emissions reduction capabilities are changing the energy landscape for the better. Scroll down to “Energy” awards. - How Corporations Can Maximize the Environmental Benefits of Their Renewable Energy Purchasing, Rocky Mountain Institute News
- Four Insights from the Most Successful NZE Home Builders, Rocky Mountain Institute News
OF POTENTIAL INTEREST TO FAITH COMMUNITIES
Interfaith Power & Light’s 2018 Faith Climate Action Week starts tomorrow, April 14th. A kit accompanies this event, which includes everything faith communities need to implement Climate Action Week activities. The kit can be used any time during 2018. Everyone who participates in Faith Climate Action Week will receive an invitation to a special webinar with Happening filmmaker Jamie Redford and Climate Champion NV State Senator Pat Spearman on April 20th.
To learn more and download the free kit, click here.