The OurEnergyLibrary aggregates and indexes publicly available fact sheets, journal articles, reports, studies, and other publications on U.S. energy topics. It is updated every week to include the most recent energy resources from academia, government, industry, non-profits, think tanks, and trade associations. Suggest a resource by emailing us at info@ourenergypolicy.org.
Resource Library
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The Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA) prepared this case study to describe how the community based organization, Ecolibrium3, developed a community solar array and resilience hub to benefit residents of a low-income, historically marginalized community in Duluth, MN. To create these two distinct projects Ecolibrium3 made use of stakeholder partnerships, technical assistance, and community outreach. This case study illustrates how these two projects were developed, what they learned, and what advice they would give to those developing future programs.
This case study was developed as part of CESA’s Solar with Justice: Connecting States and Communities project. The Solar with Justice …
View Full Resource“Solar in the Southeast” illuminates the critical role of utilities in the growing southeastern solar market. Southeastern states, particularly Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee, grant monopoly utilities – rather than a competitive marketplace – the responsibility and control over power supplies. Consequently, the location of a home or business is the primary determinant not only of which utility will supply the electricity but also the amount of solar within that portfolio.…
View Full ResourceThe rapid growth of utility-scale solar project installations, as well as the increase in project sizes both in the United States and particularly in Texas, has caused concern about potential impact from projects on proximate property values. The research available on the potential impact, if any, remains limited. The research performed here is an analysis of market trends surrounding Texas utility-scale solar projects in Tom Green, Bell, Lamar, and Bee Counties to understand how surrounding real estate markets may be affected when located near utility-scale solar projects. Key market indicators – sale price per interior square foot, sale to list …
View Full ResourceThis event summary highlights key comments made by industry experts at an OEP webinar on solar energy in June 2023. Featuring panelists from the American Clean Power Association, U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Energy Technologies Office, Distributed Sun, and Sunnova in a discussion addressing the future of solar power in the U.S., barriers to advancement and the key economic, policy and regulatory issues.…
View Full ResourceLarge-scale solar (LSS, defined here as ground-mounted photovoltaic projects ≥1 MWDC) has grown rapidly in the U.S., accounting for nearly half of new electric generating capacity added to the U.S. grid in 2022. All sources of electricity bring positive and negative impacts to hosting communities and the rapid growth of LSS has increased the urgency to understand those impacts. Yet, information about the potential positive and negative impacts of LSS on host communities, and the factors or drivers leading to support or opposition to a project, is lacking. This information gap limits how project developers, municipalities, and local siting authorities …
View Full ResourceThe Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA) prepared this case study to describe how Michigan’s energy office collaborated with local community action agencies and utilities to develop three separate community solar pilots aimed at reducing the energy burden of low-income Michiganders. Residents that participated in the pilots enrolled in community solar programs and received free weatherization services. This case study illustrates how the program partners developed each pilot, what they learned, and what advice they would give to those developing future programs.
This case study was developed as part of the CESA’s Solar with Justice: Connecting States and Communities project. The …
View Full ResourceIn an effort to reduce the energy burden on low-income Michiganders, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) collaborated with local community action agencies and utilities to develop three separate community solar pilot programs. Residents that participated in the pilots enrolled in community solar programs and received free weatherization services. By pairing community solar with weatherization, participants in this pilot experienced 70 percent total savings.
This case study illustrates how the program partners developed each pilot, what they learned, and what advice they would give to those developing future programs. It profiles EGLE’s efforts and highlights lessons …
View Full ResourceTo advance their decarbonization goals, RTC member Colgate-Palmolive installed a solar thermal system, built by RTC sponsor Absolicon, on the roof of a home goods manufacturing facility in Athens, Greece. After considering other renewable options, Colgate chose solar thermal because it integrates with their existing system, could be installed without pausing production, provides a stable energy source, requires minimal space, and has a short payback period.
The project shows how renewable thermal installations can be a win for both decarbonization and financial objectives. The system’s installation avoids 39 tons of Scope 1 emissions each year, contributing to Colgate’s 2025 Sustainability …
View Full ResourceSolar Landscape retained The Brattle Group to explore the relative value of rooftop Community Solar + Storage (CSS)
projects located closer to urban and suburban load centers relative to remote, ground mounted CSS projects.…
Ammonia (NH3) is an energy-dense chemical and a vital component of fertilizer. In
addition, it is a carbon-neutral liquid fuel and a potential candidate for thermochemical
energy storage for high-temperature concentrating solar power (CSP).
The development of renewable, low-cost NH3 will be of great interest to the chemicals
industry, particularly agricultural sectors. The CSP industry should be both an important
customer and potential end-user of this technology, as it affords the capability of
synthesizing a promising thermochemical storage material on-site. Since the NH3
synthesis step also requires H2, there will exist a symbiotic relationship between this
technology and solar-thermochemical water-splitting …