Renewable Energy

September 16, 2020

Small Scale Nuclear Could Be a Big Deal

We’ve written extensively about the need for new nuclear technologies to help reach global carbon reduction targets. Recently, Oregon-based nuclear startup company, NuScale, received the go-ahead to build the world’s first small modular nuclear reactor (SMR). This approval represents a significant milestone for new nuclear technology. In the past, nuclear […]
September 11, 2020

Flight 93: Electric Co-op Heroes on a Day of National Tragedy

September 11, 2001, is a day that we will always remember. As we remember the heroes and the tragedy of that day, we offer a conversation. Last year, Energy Fairness Executive Director Paul Griffin had the opportunity to speak to Rich Bauer, President and CEO of Valley Rural Electric Cooperative, […]
September 4, 2020

The D.C. Intertie: A Lifeline to California and An Engineering Marvel

It’s been just over 50 years since Neil Armstrong took man’s first steps on the moon, uttering the memorable phrase – “that’s one small step for man and one giant leap for mankind.” His words put the final stamp on a phenomenal engineering achievement first presented as a challenge to […]
August 31, 2020

Golden State Study Highlights Inequities in Roof-Top Solar

Earlier this month, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) released an independent report detailing how its ratepayers without rooftop solar subsidize its customers with rooftop solar systems at a rate between $25 million and $41 million annually. In a nutshell, the report found that “while net-metered [rooftop] solar provides a […]
August 28, 2020

Shawn Taylor Brings Western Presence to Energy Fairness Board

Washington, DC — Today, the Energy Fairness board announced that Shawn Taylor, Executive Director of the Wyoming Rural Electric Association (WREA), will fill an open position on the board made vacant through the recent resignation of Bill Verner. Verner recently retired after serving a 35 year-plus tenure at the non-profit […]
August 25, 2020

Fossil Fuel Boycotts: Dangerous & Illegal

We’ve written many times about the dangers of America’s largest financial institutions picking winners and losers for energy development, but the trend has sadly continued. Banks are continuing to withhold funding for oil and gas projects, and it is quickly becoming clear that these actions may be illegal. Federal anti-trust […]
August 18, 2020

This Sure Ain’t California Dreamin’ – Rolling Blackouts in the Golden State

As the temperature this past weekend soared to over 100 degrees, millions of Californians found themselves without electricity in the scorching heat. These targeted blackouts marked the first time in nearly 20 years the state’s power providers resorted to rolling blackouts to keep the grid from overloading. For more than […]
August 17, 2020

Legal wrangling tying up fossil fuel projects could be used to target clean energy, too

ICYMI: Energy Fairness Director Paul Griffin authored an article in the Des Moines Register pointing out that the misguided legal arguments used to stall pipeline projects could be used to hinder renewable energy projects as well. The original piece can be viewed here. In a recent opinion in the New York Times, the director of […]
August 13, 2020

Energy Fairness Applauds Common-Sense Action on EPA Methane Gas Rule.

Boulder County, CO – Energy Fairness Executive Director, Paul Griffin, made the following statement today regarding the EPA’s release of the Methane Gas Rule. “From NEPA to today’s release of the final Methane Gas regulation, there has been a concerted effort over the last several years to streamline regulatory efforts […]
August 4, 2020

State, Private Entities Build Out Electric Vehicle Infrastructure

We’ve written many times in the past about the bright future ahead for electric vehicles (EVs). While the Covid-19 pandemic has taken its toll on auto sales, the EV industry is expected to rebound and continue to grow. In fact, one study found that electric vehicles will comprise a third […]
July 29, 2020

Kiwis Look to Pumped Storage to Meet Climate Goals

Lost in the accolades that New Zealand Prime Minister, Jacinda Arden, received for the proactive measures that her government implemented to squash the Covid-19 epidemic in her remote Pacific Rim nation was a report from the country’s Interim Climate Change Committee calling for the use of more pumped hydropower storage […]
July 20, 2020

OP-Ed: Robbing Peter to Pay Paul, Even More -Arkansas Public Service Commission rules that all ratepayers must subsidize solar owners

Energy Fairness is pleased to present the following op-ed from Sandra Hochstetter Byrd regarding the Arkansas Public Service Commission’s June 1, 2020 order on net metering. Sandy is the Vice President of Public Affairs & Member Services for the Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corporation. She is also a former Chairman of […]
April 5, 2010

Discussion of Rare Earth Metals Is Stunningly Rare

No, it’s not a late April Fool’s joke: The world’s development of renewable, so-called “clean” technologies might be fatally threatened because we don’t mine the materials we need to make them. Those who support wind and solar power, but abhor mining altogether, might not be able to build wind turbines […]
August 13, 2010

Texas Wind Power Is Not So Powerful

This week, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which regulates the flow of electricity to 21 million consumers in the state, released some startling data about Texas’s power usage and the role of wind. What did we learn? We learned that wind power is simply not a reliable source […]
April 25, 2018

Community Solar for All

PACE supports “all of the above” energy policies, even though the phrase itself has fallen out of fashion in some circles. All of the above, in case we haven’t always been clear, includes renewable energy. One of the most important renewable sources is community solar. The price is right, compared […]
May 8, 2018

TVA Generation Mix: Celebrating Wins for Consumers

This past weekend, the Chattanooga Times Free-Press published an article updating readers on the Tennessee Valley Authority’s multi-year program to transition its generation mix. Nearly a decade ago, in 2011, a lawsuit by environmental groups led to a settlement agreement. TVA has lived up to the agreement by taking sweeping actions to […]
May 24, 2018

Smarter Ways Forward with The Ray

Frequently, PACE talks about consumers’ interest in transportation from a fuel supply angle (oil pipelines) or integrating new technologies (electric vehicles). Many big thinkers are attempting to envision how, when and at what cost energy, telecommunications and transportation will converge. Many laudable “Smart Cities” projects and pilots with broad scopes […]
August 16, 2018

100 Percent Renewable? Not Yet Doable

Last night, Energy Fairness joined a community event in Georgetown, Texas, asking whether the city is really powered by 100 percent renewable electricity? Over 100 citizens turned out for a 90-minute panel discussion and robust Q & A session, convened by the Texas Public Policy Foundation and also featuring: Honorable Charles McConnell, Executive Director […]