community solar

Community Solar: Compensation

Who gets the money? Compensation mechanisms are where a lot of the power of these programs resides, but naturally, also the debate.

This post is co-written by Naomi Caldwell (J.D. ’24, UCLA School of Law). Two recent posts explored community solar through the lens of its many potential benefits. (Part One on systemwide benefits and Part Two on local and individual benefits.) Today’s post follows the money, exploring community solar compensation mechanisms. The question of who makes …

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Community Solar: Local and Individual Benefits

Community solar offers a rich case study for how a diverse range of values can be integrated into the traditionally narrow scope of public utility commission decision-making.

Earlier this week, I published a blog post highlighting some of the systemwide benefits community solar programs can provide and exploring considerations for policy design prioritizing each benefit. Today’s post continues that project, this time focusing on several of the benefits community solar can generate at the local or community level and for individual households: …

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Community Solar: The Systemwide Benefits

The debates over community solar program design are fascinating sites of struggle over which values should drive decision-making.

Electricity regulation has traditionally been defined by a relatively narrow public interest prerogative: ensuring just and reasonable rates for reliable electric service. The call to decarbonize, however, has injected a new diversity of values into the conversation. Transforming the electric power system to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is opening new opportunities to elevate values like …

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Greening the Land of Lincoln

Illinois passes pathbreaking energy law.

Last week, Illinois’s governor signed into law a major piece of climate legislation. The law deserves more attention than it has received.  Sadly, however, Illinois seems to be something of a neglected stepchild in the media. That’s a pity, because there are some important lessons in Illinois’s experience, both for the Midwest and the country …

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