Author: John Farrell Pusblished: 09/15/2025 Institute for Local Self-Reliance
A new approach to public power?
I’ve been following public power since 2011, when I was invited to discuss the upsides of local clean energy ownership with a then-new public power campaign in Boulder, CO. I helped start a public power campaign in Minneapolis, MN. I’ve interviewed dozens of public power activists across the country and am still struck by their common interests: affordable power, clean energy, and local accountability.
As corporate utilities pull us backward — have you seen your electric bill lately? — interest in public power has spiked. But unfortunately, the city-by-city approach has rarely succeeded due to outsized utility power over data, money, and influence.
Public power campaigns are vital, but we won’t achieve energy democracy without a broader effort to reduce the monopoly power of investor-owned utilities. That could be public control over interconnection, public distribution utilities, or even public power authorities like New York’s. No matter what, we must “quarantine the monopoly,” as Lynne Kiesling says
The solar tax credits that survived the Big Bad Bill
It’s no secret that the Big Bad Bill decimated clean energy tax incentives, especially those for everyday consumers. Avisen Legal attorney Jeremy Kalin joined me on Local Energy Rules to discuss the future of the direct pay tax credit, which has remained “largely unscathed,” and empowers non-taxable entities like nonprofits and cities to pursue solar and storage.
Direct pay has been a game changer — and a lifesaver. Jeremy shared that a solar/storage system enabled by direct pay kept critical medicine cold for residents in Georgia during a hurricane. In the next two years, there will be a series of “sprints” to start and complete direct pay projects before various tax deadlines.
The tax credits will still sunset, but the chance for big impact isn’t done just yet.
Community solar makes gains
Our latest quarterly update to the Community Solar Tracker showed continuing gains in capacity across multiple states — though the state rankings remained consistent.
New York maintained its national lead in community solar capacity, turning heads with a 200 MW increase across 43 new projects in Q2. Maine added 107 new projects, the most in the country — fitting for the national leader in community solar capacity per capita.
It’s been interesting to see how community solar hits a nerve, a compromise that provides solar access to those without sunny rooftops and captures economies of scale while connecting close to where we use electricity.
