2024
“How can we make the most of the existing grid?.” PowerGrid International. October 11, 2024. First written for the Ava newsletter, "From the CEO's Desk"
“Income Verification Strategies for Income-Based Solar Programs.” Berkeley Lab. July 2024. With Greg Leventis and Sydney Forrester. Prepared for the US DOE National Community Solar Partnership.
“Community Solar For Opportunity States.” Berkeley Lab. June 2024. With Anthony Sandonato and Greg Leventis. Prepared for the DOE National Community Solar Partnership.
“A Program Design Combining Community Solar and Weatherization for Manufactured Homes in Michigan.” Berkeley Lab. March 2024. A program design for the Michigan energy office that combines community solar with efficiency and electrification of manufactured homes.
“Saving Sunlight for a Rainy Day.” McGraw Hill, Actively Learn Science. February 2024. With Galen Barbose and Will Gorman.
2023
“Community solar is hot. Why not community wind?.” Utility Dive. September 27, 2023. With Mark Bolinger.
“Land-Based Wind Market Report: 2023 Edition.” Berkeley Lab. August 2023. With Ryan Wiser et al..
“Revisiting Community Wind Through the Lens of Community Solar.” Berkeley Lab. June 2023. With Mark Bolinger.
“A Federal Program Looks to Connect Smart Buildings with Smart Policy.” Route Fifty. March 13, 2023. With Elizabeth Stuart.
“Are You Philanthropy-Ready? How to Work with Foundations on Mission-Aligned Community Solar.” Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. January 2023. With Juliana Williams.
2022
“A Cost-Effective Way to Convert Buildings from Gas to Electric.” Route Fifty. October 5, 2022. With Nick Chaset.
“When the Grid Goes Out, Could Solar and Batteries Power Your Home?.” Route 50. September 29, 2022. Researchers explore what it would take for homes and commercial buildings to ride out long power outages, of three days or more, with solar and batteries.
“Hurricane Ian: When the power grid goes out, could solar and batteries power your home?.” The Conversation. September 28, 2022. With Will Gorman and Galen Barbose.
“Land-Based Wind Market Report: 2022 Edition.” Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. August 2022. With Ryan Wiser et al..
“Solar + Storage Hybrid plants are poised for explosive growth in the U.S..” Energy Post. May 4, 2022.
“Meet the power plant of the future: Solar + battery hybrids are poised for explosive growth.” The Conversation. April 25, 2022. A roundup of Berkeley Lab research on hybrid (generation + storage) power plants.
“Batteries Included: Top 10 Findings from Berkeley Lab Research on the Growth of Hybrid Power Plants in the United States.” Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. April 2022. With Joachim Seel et al..
2021
“The Governance of Wholesale Power Markets.” Clean Energy States Alliance and U.S. Climate Alliance. October 27, 2021.
“How Wholesale Power Markets Work.” Clean Energy States Alliance and U.S. Climate Alliance. August 19, 2021.
“An Assessment of Evaluation Practices of Low- and Moderate-Income Solar Programs.” Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. May 3, 2021. With Sydney Forrester, Eric O’Shaughnessy, Christopher Dyson (DNV GL), Galen Barbose, and Ryan Wiser.
“The US electric power sector is halfway to zero carbon emissions.” The Conversation. April 20, 2021. With Ryan Wiser, Dev Millstein, and Joseph Rand. For Berkeley Lab
“Queued Up: Characteristics of Power Plants Seeking Transmission Interconnection As of the End of 2020.” Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. May 2021. With Joseph Rand, Mark Bolinger, Ryan H Wiser, and Seongeun Jeong.
“Cleaning up the power grid requires a federal-state partnership.” Utility Dive. February 8, 2021. With Warren Leon.
“EBCE’s resilient home program aims to deploy over 1,000 battery backup systems in California.” Renewable Energy World. February 5, 2021.
“Map and Timelines of 100% Clean Energy States (data dashboard).” Clean Energy States Alliance and U.S. Climate Alliance. 2021.
2020
“Advancing Toward 100 Percent: State Policies, Programs, and Plans for Zero-Carbon Electricity.” Clean Energy States Alliance. December 16, 2020.
“Hybrid Power Plants: Status of Installed and Proposed Projects.” Berkeley Lab. July 2020. With Ryan Wiser, Mark Bolinger, Will Gorman, Joseph Rand, Seongeun Jeong, Joachim Seel, and Cody Warner.
“Impacts of High Variable Renewable Energy Futures on Electric-Sector Decision Making: Demand-Side Effects.” Berkeley Lab. June 2020. With Joachim Seel, Andrew Mills, Cody Warner, and Ryan Wiser.
“Resilient Clean Energy for California: Protecting Vulnerable Communities, Critical Facilities, and the California Economy with Solar + Storage.” Vote Solar. February 2020.
2019
“Solar with Justice: Strategies for Powering Up Under-Resourced Communities and Growing an Inclusive Solar Market.” Clean Energy States Alliance. December 2019.
“Engaged Investors Come in from the Cold as Climate Action 100+ Wins Votes.” Impactivate: The Impact Investing Exchange. September 10, 2019.
“Minnesota’s Solar Gardens: The Status and Benefits of Community Solar.” Vote Solar, MinnSEIA, and the Institute for Local Self Reliance. May 2019.
“What Does the Green New Deal Mean for Impact Investing?.” Impactivate: The Impact Investing Exchange. April 18, 2019.
“The Road to Sustainable Infrastructure.” Impactivate: The Impact Investing Exchange. April 16, 2019.
“Cost-Effective Solutions for Boosting Solar Farm Production.” POWER Magazine. March 1, 2019.
“Analysis: Why utilities aren’t doing more with renewable natural gas.” Energy News Network. February 14, 2019.
“Investors Take On Food Waste Solutions.” Impactivate: The Impact Investing Exchange. January 29, 2019.
“Texas Utility Spreads the Benefits from Solar Power.” Energy Central. January 17, 2019. For the Department of Energy's Solar In Your Community Challenge.
“Interview with “The Cycling Professor” Marco te Brömmelstroet.” Energy Transition & Streetsblog. January 3, 2019.
2018
“Local clean energy fund is a bright spot in US election results.” Energy Transition. December 11, 2018.
“Next stop on the climate party circuit – Katowice, Poland.” Energy Transition. December 3, 2018.
“Business Approach Seeks to Scale Clean Cooking Solutions.” Impactivate: The Impact Investing Exchange. November 27, 2018.
“Global Push for Electric Vehicles Moves Forward Despite US Chaos.” Energy Transition. November 26, 2018.
“Caribbean Climate-Smart Zone Strives to Be Global Model of Resiliency.” Impactivate. November 20, 2018.
“California’s Solar Home Mandate Is Following, Not Driving, Trends.” GE Transform. November 12, 2018.
“Students at Black Prep School Lead the Charge for Solar on Campus.” Nexus Media News. October 16, 2018.
“Electric Vehicles Bring New Relevance to the Environmental Impact of Batteries.” Impactivate. October 16, 2018.
“Solar Grows in Brooklyn.” PV Magazine. October 3, 2018.
“Are Solar Industry Jobs Rising or Falling?.” GE Transform. September 13, 2018.
“Interactive: Wind turbines are getting more powerful as ‘specific power’ declines.” Utility Dive. August 23, 2018. With Ryan Wiser, Mark Bolinger, and Ben Hoen.
“The Growth of Distributed Energy: Implications for California’s Grid.” Next10. August 2018.
“A local transport solution.” FORESIGHT. July 30, 2018.
“Philadelphia finds a new way to support low-income solar.” PV Magazine. July 18, 2018.
“The Father, the SUN, and Holy Spirit: Churches embrace solar.” Solar Power World. July 12, 2018.
“How solar energy helps Mennonites with their mission of global relief.” Southeast Energy News. July 11, 2018.
“The Low Cost of Renewable Energy Is Driving Big Changes in the Power Sector.” Impactivate. July 10, 2018.
“Transforming the Grid: An Introduction to California’s Electric System in the 21st Century.” Next10. July 2018.
“A Regional Power Market for the West: Risks and Benefits.” Next10. July 2018.
“Groups Seek to Reduce Food Waste through Shareholder Engagement.” Impactivate. June 26, 2018.
“Native American Tribes are Turning to Solar Power.” Solar Today. Summer 2018.
“Energy Storage Faces Stiff Competition in a Modernizing Grid.” GE Transform. May 28, 2018.
“Is Carbon Capture and Storage the Key to Battling Climate Change?.” Impactivate. May 17, 2018.
“Puerto Rico Struggles Back from the Brink.” FORESIGHT. May 15, 2018.
“Hawaii Bets on Solar Power.” FORESIGHT. May 9, 2018.
“Bornholm Island a test bed for new energy technologies.” FORESIGHT. May 7, 2018.
“New York City’s Climate Change Lawsuit: Sign of Things to Come for Oil Companies?.” Impactivate. May 3, 2018.
“Detroit Neighborhood Turns to Solar for Urban Renewal.” EcoWatch. May 1, 2018.
“Offshore Wind May Finally Be Here (Really).” POWER Magazine. May 1, 2018.
“Resilient Solar: New York and San Francisco Study Solar With Batteries as a Resiliency Solution.” Greentech Media. April 24, 2018.
“Utilities and Distributed Generation.” FORESIGHT. April 18, 2018.
“Solar installations put Ypsilanti, Michigan on the clean energy map.” Midwest Energy News. April 18, 2018.
“In Ohio town, energy ‘locavores’ drive demand for community solar.” Midwest Energy News. April 17, 2018.
“Puerto Rico disaster opens the door to distributed energy.” Energy Transition. March 19, 2018.
“Fossil Fuel Divestment Pits Unity College against Harvard.” Impactivate: The Impact Investing Exchange. February 1, 2018.
“Community choice energy drives renewable growth in California.” Energy Transition. January 29, 2018.
“New Tools Make Solar Development Easier.” Renewable Energy World. January 25, 2018. With For Institute for Sustainable Communities.
“New Online Solar Tools.” PV Magazine. January 22, 2018. With For Institute for Sustainable Communities.
“Power to X: Converting renewable power to other low-carbon products.” Energy Transition. January 10, 2018.
“Washington State leaves coal behind, but not its workers.” Energy Transition. January 4, 2018.
2017
“Germany and California look beyond the power sector to cut carbon.” Energy Transition. November 28, 2017.
“US cities and states step forward on climate as Trump steps back.” Energy Transition. November 22, 2017.
“How will Volkswagen’s Dieselgate settlement be spent?.” Energy Transition. November 14, 2017.
“Get ready for the next generation of electric vehicles.” Energy Transition. November 8, 2017.
“Solar Comes to the Trailer Park.” Energy Transition. October 31, 2017.
“California Experts Weigh the Next Steps for a Western Regional Grid.” Greentech Media. October 24, 2017.
“Hawaii Turns to Batteries for Grid Balancing.” GE Transform. October 2, 2017.
“Annual Survey Report: Mastering the Utility Sales Cycle.” GTM² (Greentech Media, subscriber only). September 20, 2017.
“Closed Circuit Reverse Osmosis System Squeezes Money Savings Out of Water Management.” POWER Magazine. August 1, 2017.
“6 Recommendations for Bringing Solar Power to Low-Income Households.” Future Structure. July 18, 2017.
“Coal Generation Makes the US Power Grid Less Diverse.” GTM² (Greentech Media, subscriber only). June 15, 2017.
“Bringing the Benefits of Solar Energy to Low-Income Consumers.” for the Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA). May 2017.
“Should Investor-Owned Utilities Be Worried About Community Choice Aggregation?.” POWER Magazine. May 2017.
“Drought Has Big Impact on California Power Market.” POWER Magazine. April 26, 2017.
“Too Much of a Good Thing? An Illustrated Guide to Solar Curtailment on California’s Grid.” Greentech Media. April 3, 2017.
“On Biofuels, part 3: The future of bioenergy.” Energy Transition blog. January 19, 2017.
“On Biofuels, part 2: Climate science for bioenergy is lost in the woods.” Energy Transition Blog. January 11, 2017.
“On Biofuels, Part 1: Dispelling myths about biopower.” Energy Transition Blog. January 9, 2017.
“Are We Understating the Potential for (and Uncertainty in) Wind Energy Cost Reductions? Berkeley Lab study shows greater potential than many other recent assessments.” ICER Chronicle, Issue 6. January 2017. With Ryan Wiser and Joachim Seel.
2016
“Sky’s the limit? Reducing wind energy costs through increased turbine size.” Utility Dive. December 19, 2016. With Ryan Wiser, Joachim Seel, and Maureen Hand.
“Cost reductions for offshore wind: Signs of progress, expectations for more.” Utility Dive. December 7, 2016. With Ryan Wiser and Joachim Seel.
“The future of wind: Are we understating the potential (and uncertainty) in cost reductions?.” Utility Dive. November 30, 2016. With Ryan Wiser and Joachim Seel.
“California Grapples With the Pros and Cons of Joining a Regional Western Grid.” Greentech Media. September 14, 2016.
“California Has More Solar Power Than You Think—a Lot More.” Greentech Media. August 11, 2016.
“Can India Really Build 100 Gigawatts of Solar?.” Greentech Media. July 21, 2016.
“Green Groups Challenge PJM’s Capacity Performance Rules.” POWER Magazine. July 11, 2016.
“What Comes After Coal?.” Energy Transition blog. June 27, 2016.
“The Secret About Nuclear Power.” Energy Transition blog. June 20, 2016.
“Do We Really Need Solar That’s Too Cheap to Meter?.” Greentech Media. May 3, 2016.
“Solving the Puzzle: A Case Study of the Renewable Energy Leadership Prize.” for the Boston Green Ribbon Commission. May 2016.
“How Should We Structure Performance-Based Regulation of Utilities?.” Greentech Media. March 28, 2016.
“New Reports Say CPP and Renewable Tax Credits Have Big Implications for the Power Sector.” POWER Magazine. February 26, 2016.
“Why the Future Looks So Promising for Utilities in a Distributed World.” Greentech Media (contributor). February 11, 2016.
“Leading-Edge Technology Evolution and the Next Generation Utility: DynamicEnergy™.” PA Consulting and Greentech Media (white paper, contributor). February 2016.
2015
“The Showdown at the Electricity Meter.” Governing.com. December 3, 2015.
“Germany Lays a New Foundation for Electricity Market.” Power Magazine. November 12, 2015.
“These Three Cities are Fighting for a Clean Energy Future.” Grist, Energy Collective, Renewable Energy World. November 2015.
“Cheap Solar Comes to Wisconsin.” Greentech Media. October 13, 2015.
“Empowered: A Tale of Three Cities Taking Charge of their Energy Future.” Midwest Energy News. September 2015. Available in paperback from Lulu and in e-book format from Amazon.
“Wind Power Wins Big Under the Clean Power Plan.” Greentech Media. August 25, 2015.
“Big Oil hates a California climate bill so much that they are telling outright lies about it.” Grist. August 24, 2015.
“How Wind and Solar will Blow Up Power Markets.” Greentech Media. August 11, 2015.
“Curtailment of Renewable Energy in California and Beyond.” Electricity Journal. July 2015. With Rachel Golden.
“What is the Cheapest New Car to Drive? Hint: It’s an EV.” Grist. May 11, 2015.
“Why the Koch Brothers War Against Clean Energy is Still Failing.” Grist. May 8, 2015.
“Short- and Long-Term Economic Impact of the Clean Power Plan on Texas Debated.” POWER Magazine. April 14, 2015.
“The bright side of California’s drought: More solar power.” Grist. April 9, 2015.
“Minnesota’s Great Leap Into Solar Begins.” Greentech Media. February 4, 2015.
“The Shape of Things to Come: Net Demand.” Electricity Policy.com. February 4, 2015.
“A Philosophical Divide Emerges in States Considering the Future of Utilities.” Greentech Media. January 23, 2015.
2014
“Living the EV/PV Dream: How I Chose to Pair My Solar System With an Electric Car.” Greentech Media. December 23, 2014.
“PJM Tightens Capacity Market Rules to Improve Reliability.” POWER Magazine. December 18, 2014.
“FERC Order 745 and the Epic Battle Between Electricity Supply and Demand.” POWER Magazine. December 18, 2014.
“California Plans for Even More Renewable Power in Its Future.” POWER Magazine. December 17, 2014.
“Salt River Project Looks to Tax Solar: Could It Stimulate Innovation on the Grid?.” Greentech Media. December 5, 2014.
“Aligning Markets with Clean Energy Policy.” Electricity Journal. December 2014.
“State RPS Laws Threatened by Price Caps and Federal Tax Expirations.” POWER Magazine. November 19, 2014.
“NARUC Addresses the Marriage of Gas and Renewables.” POWER Magazine. November 19, 2014.
“The Next Big Opportunity to Drop Balance-of-System Costs: Battery Storage.” Greentech Media. November 3, 2014.
“Why You Should Question the Value Proposition of Energy Storage.” Greentech Media. October 17, 2014.
“Buying Renewable Power for Data Centers Poses Major Challenges for Internet Companies.” Greentech Media. October 8, 2014.
“Texas & Germany: Energy Twins?.” The Globalist. September 26, 2014.
“Study: Solar Will Cause Some Financial Trouble for US Utilities, But Won’t Drive Up Rates.” Greentech Media. September 25, 2014.
“Transforming the Power Grid: Lessons from Germany and Japan.” Greentech Media. September 23, 2014.
“Texas & Germany: Energy Twins?.” POWER Magazine. August 28, 2014.
“PJM May Expand Capacity Market Rules: A Handout to Fossil Fuels, Or a Needed Reliability Boost?.” Greentech Media. August 13, 2014.
“Germany Reforms Renewable Power Laws.” POWER Magazine. July 11, 2014.
“RWE’s Thomas Birr on Corporate Strategy in a Changing German Electricity Ecosystem.” POWER Magazine. July 1, 2014.
“How Texas Could Easily Meet Carbon Regulations.” Greentech Media. June 24, 2014.
“Germany’s Renewable Energy Law is About to Look More American.” Greentech Media. June 11, 2014.
“The Money Problem With Germany’s Renewable Energy Law in 3 Charts.” Greentech Media. June 5, 2014.
“Are the Legacy Cost of Germany’s Solar Feed-In Tariff Fixable?.” Greentech Media. June 4, 2014.
“Can Solar Compete in Retail Energy Choice Markets?.” Greentech Media. May 27, 2014.
“Hawaii Passes the Point of No Return on Distributed Generation.” Greentech Media. May 24, 2014.
“UC San Diego is Building the Motel 6 of Microgrids.” Greentech Media. May 19, 2014.
“Can the Texas Solar Market Live Up to its Potential?.” Greentech Media. May 12, 2014.
“The US Midwest: A Leader in Clean Energy.” Renewable Energy World. May-June 2014.
“Fear and Loathing at the CPUC: California Debates the Future of Solar.” Greentech Media. April 25, 2014.
“Surpassing Milestone of 100,000 Solar Roofs, PG&E Calls for ‘Sustainable’ Solar Policy.” Greentech Media. April 21, 2014.
“Making Markets Work in Texas: Postcard from the Future of Energy.” Renewable Energy World. April 8, 2014.
“Hawaii: Postcard from the Future of Energy.” Greentech Media. February 13, 2014.
“Are You Ready to Compete with Your Customers?.” POWER Magazine. February 1, 2014. With James Newcomb.
“Government’s Role in a Rapidly Changing Power Sector.” Governing Institute. January 9, 2014.
“Dealing with the Duck.” Public Utilities Fortnightly. January 2014. With Michael Hogan.
2013
“122% Wind Power in Denmark: Postcard from the Future of Energy.” Renewable Energy World. December 11, 2013. Also on EcoBusiness, the AWEA Blog, Energy Collective, and Greentech Media.
“How to Build a Clean Energy Grid.” The Energy Collective. December 5, 2013. With John Jimison and Bill White. Also on SmartGridNews and ElectricityPolicy.
“Distributed Energy: The Power Sector’s Wild Card.” Greentech Media. November 26, 2013. Also on SmartGridNews.
“It Doesn’t Have To Be So Hard: Making Renewable Energy Siting Easier.” Renewable Energy World. November 12, 2013. With Carl Zichella. Also on Switchboard, the NRDC Blog, and High Country News.
“Smart Grid 101: The Past and Future of Demand Response.” Smart Grid News. October 29, 2013.
“The Official Explanation for the German Energy Transition.” Energy Transition blog. October 28, 2013. Also on Energy Collective and Renewable Energy World.
“Debate About the Future of Utilities Moves Deeper Into the World of Regulation.” Greentech Media. October 17, 2013.
“Six Myths About Renewable Energy, and Seven Answers.” Renewable Energy World. September 26, 2013. Also on Energy Collective.
“How to Make Distributed Energy an Ally, Not a Threat.” Greentech Media. September 23, 2013. With Joseph Weidman and Tom Beach. Also on Energy Collective and Renewable Energy World.
“Three Regulatory Models That Could Help Utilities Embrace the Future.” Greentech Media. September 17, 2013. With Ron Lehr.
“Renewable Electricity Standards: State Success Stories.” Governors Wind Energy Coalition. March 2013.
2008
“The Machine in the Garden: Linking Biofuels Research and Development to Ecological Principles.” Conference on the Ecological Dimensions of Biofuels. March 2008. With Gretchen Bonfert.
1999
“Wind Empowerment Zones.” Energy Foundation. September 1999.
“A Discussion and Critique of Market Transformation: Challenges and Perspectives.” Energy Center of Wisconsin. June 1999. With Dan York.
“Powerful Solutions: Seven Ways to Switch America to Renewable Electricity.” Union of Concerned Scientists. January 1999. With Alan Nogee, Steve Clemmer, and Brent Haddad.
1998
“Green Power In Perspective: Lessons from Green Marketing of Consumer Goods.” Electricity Journal. January-February 1998.
1994
“Enviro CD-ROMs.” Living on Earth (NPR). December 2, 1994.
“Determinants of Effectiveness for Environmental Certification and Labeling Programs.” Abt Associates. April 1994. With Andrew Stoeckle and Han Wang. For the US EPA Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics