How to Run a Solarize Program

By Sari Steuber, Transition US

I get these crazy ideas sometimes. I thought doing a Solarize project (getting solar PV panels put on rooftops) would be a great project for Transition Town Media.

Reclaiming power

By Rapid Transition Alliance Staff, Rapid Transition Alliance

The rapid rise of community renewable energy and why the added benefits of local, clean power can help accelerate transition

Build small, think big

By Phillip O’Sullivan, Red Pepper

Proponents of community energy, or energy cooperatives, envision a future in which small-scale renewable energy infrastructure is owned and used by local communities.

Democratizing Energy to Counter the Climate Catastrophe

By Lavinia Steinfort, ROAR Magazine

For the labor and climate justice movements to win anything close to a just recovery and a Green New Deal, we need to collectively stand up against market solutions and build on the diverse forms of energy democracy that are already being developed across Europe.

Are You Thinking About Climate Change Wrong?

By Subin DeVar, Sustainable Economies Law Center

Because beyond whether we achieve everything in the vision for a Green New Deal or not, it is inspiring that young people do not view climate change as a pass/fail test. For them, failure is not an option. Instead, the question is: how transformative will our success be?

Power for the People: How PG&E’s Failures are Spurring a Movement Toward Electric Cooperatives

By Robert Raymond, Shareable

But if there’s a silver lining to the PG&E disaster, it’s that — in the midst of filing for bankruptcy — they’ve opened up the space for conversations about alternatives. And perhaps one of the most interesting of these conversations is based on the idea of transforming the utility into a network of cooperatives: utilities owned and managed by the ratepayers themselves.

DisemPOWERed (Documentary Film Review)

By Frank Kaminski, Mud City Press

The difference between Casa Pueblo's shining example and the bleak energy reality faced by Puerto Ricans at large is the main lament of the documentary DisemPOWERed. Written and produced by anthropology and Latin American studies professor Sandy Smith-Nonini, this indie film is a meticulously researched, densely informative—yet accessible—exposé of Puerto Rico’s economic, political and energy woes.

Resolving Energy Poverty in Sarawak: Indigenous Solutions to the Climate Crisis

By Fiona McAlpine, Intercontinental Cry

Much of the climate debate centers on targets to cut fossil-fuel use, and this is where the majority of resources, campaigning and media focus their attention. But one of the most cost-effective carbon capture technologies is forests, both leaving existing forests alone and rewilding damaged ones.

Rebel Cities: These Community Wind Farms in Denmark and Scotland are Decentralising Power to the People

By Steve Rushton, Occupy.com

The future is bright for wind and renewables just about everywhere. Now it's a matter of people, and communities, recognizing and acting on that potential.

Energy Equity: Bringing Solar Power to Low-Income Communities

By Maria Galluci, Grist

Community or shared solar is broadly defined as a project where multiple participants own or lease shares in a mid-sized solar facility usually between 500 kilowatts and 5 megawatts, and receive credits that lower their monthly utility bills based on how much power the facility delivers to the grid.

Energy Democracy: Taking Back Power

By Johanna Bozuwa, The Next System Project

Electric utility (re)municipalization is gaining popularity as a strategy to shift away from a reliance on fossil fuel extraction in the context of combating climate change.

Just Transition – Part Four: the Highlands of Hydro

By Chris Silver, DeSmog UK

The achievements of the Hydro Board rank among the most successful and concentrated single instances of energy transitions. As the Scottish Government prepares to convene its commission on a Just Transition — a project to end reliance on fossil fuels in a socially equitable manner — a clear precedent does exist.