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Lessons Learned from Solarize Campaigns in Connecticut

Introduction of Solarize and SEEDS II 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. The Yale Solar Energy Evolution and Diffusion Studies (SEEDS) II team has designed, implemented and studied Solarize campaigns as a series of randomized field trials. The SEEDS II team wants to understand two effects: the rates at which households of various income levels adopt solar, and how different...

Hospital connected to community microgrid

Co-authored by Sara Harari, Nate Grady, Emilie Charlotte Løberg and Sofie Møller As climate change becomes the new reality, policymakers must decide how to invest limited resources in advanced technology and infrastructure. At the heart of this challenge is the debate over adaptation versus mitigation: should we focus our efforts on avoiding the worst effects of climate change (i.e. reducing the amount of greenhouse gasses we release going forward), or should we divide our resources and invest simultaneously on adapting to the most likely effects of climate change? Historically, most international efforts have focused on mitigation; if we can quickly...

The popularity of solar energy skyrocketed in South Carolina (SC) with the introduction of net metering in 2014 when the state legislature unanimously passed its landmark energy bill. After the introduction of the Distributed Energy Resources (DER) program, the Palmetto State went from having virtually no solar energy to having an installed capacity of 591 megawatts (MW).

As of Q3 2018, the solar industry has deployed a total of 60 GW of capacity across the United States, according to the Solar Energy Industry Association (SEIA). By now, solar PV is no longer seen as a risky investment, but a mature industry. For years, much of the activity in solar deployment has been concentrated in just a few markets like California, Arizona or Massachusetts. Unsurprisingly, the markets that have shown the greatest growth over the past decade have also become highly competitive both in terms of the sheer number of active solar developers and installers, but also in...

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 global transition to renewable power sources.

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 in capital costs and the increasing clean energy interest from companies.

At Transforming Transportation 2019, more than 1,100 participants joined World Bank Group and World Resources Institute (WRI) to discuss strategies to make new mobility more sustainable and affordable for everyone. On Jan. 17, experts from the financial sector talked about how to finance new mobility efficiently.

The emergence of New York as a leading state in clean energy has happened due to extensive policy work behind the scenes. In this interview, Alicia Barton, president and CEO of New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), describes the dramatic expansion of her state’s clean energy goals in recent years.

Hawaii has experienced ups and downs in its ambitious solar programs, according to Gwen Yamamoto Lau, executive director of Hawaii Green Infrastructure Authority (HGIA). In this interview, she describes her state’s journey toward its 100-percent-renewable energy goal.

Among the many clean energy successes Massachusetts has had so far, some gaps remain, said Larry Chretien, executive director of Green Energy Consumers Alliance, in this interview. There are policies that could amplify sustainability further at the state level. Public enthusiasm has helped programs take flight.

Given the regulatory and policy challenges North Carolina faces, it takes patience for the solar power and energy efficiency industries to move forward there. According to staff at North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association, Duke Energy is taking the lead with developing some opportunities, but other utilities are lagging behind it. The respondents to this written interview were Executive Director Ivan Urlaub (the primary source), General Counsel Peter Ledford, Regulatory and Policy Analyst Daniel Brookshire, and Engagement and Equity Specialist Jordan Jones.

Accelerate the transition to a clean economy with a certificate in Financing and Deploying Clean Energy from Yale. The Yale Center for Business and the Environment (CBEY) has developed a year-long, admissions-based online certificate for working professionals who seek to accelerate the financing and deployment of clean energy.

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Application is now open – priority admissions deadline is March 7, 2019. Learn more and apply

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