John Farrell

grist.orgCalifornia just showed how home batteries will radically remake the gridHome batteries are helping homeowners keep the lights on during outages. But they're also sending juice to the grid for others to use.

Coordinated home solar and batteries: "it doesn’t just compensate the people who supply power ...“It also helps the neighbor who doesn’t have solar and batteries” vist.ly/5q7y3

Winter Park, Fla, paid less than half what Progress Energy said their grid was worth in 2002. Expect a lot of profit-motivated inflation in utility quotes. vist.ly/5p2xp h/t @KQEDnews Samantha Kennedy for the coverage

Notably, an investor in Delmarva's parent company Exelon would have earned over 10% per year over the past decade. Sounds pretty high for a company with no competition... vist.ly/5p2dk

youtube.comWhy is the Bed Scrunchie helpful to understanding how Amazon jacks up prices everywhere, even on competitor websites? vist.ly/5n2t9Why is the Bed Scrunchie helpful to understanding how Amazon jacks up prices everywhere, even on competitor websites? vist.ly/5n2t9

Why is the Bed Scrunchie helpful to understanding how Amazon jacks up prices everywhere, even on competitor websites? vist.ly/5n2t9

pv-magazine-usa.comRooftop solar growth makes giant New England gas plant obsolete as region hits 500th Duck Curve day - pv magazine USAISO-NE logged its 500th BTM solar duck curve day on September 21, more than eight years after it observed the region's first in April 2018. The grid operator has told federal regulators that behind the meter solar growth was a leading reason it no longer saw a reliability need for a new natural gas terminal.

Happy Tuesday! Rooftop solar in New England is helping reduce reliance on natural gas! vist.ly/5n6z5

Publicly owned utilities pay back more to their communities than for-profit ones. Learn more about #PublicPower from ILSR's podcast series about communities trying to go public: vist.ly/5meif

If your electric utility was publicly owned, you'd probably have a lower bill. #PublicPower vist.ly/5mafp

Learn which communities are fighting to make their utility public: https://padlet.com/ingrid379/map-of-us-public-power-campaigns-rwj4yd3b19kyaa0e

canarymedia.comGas stoves put restaurant cooks’ health at risk, new study findsDangerous amounts of heat and air pollution swirl in most commercial kitchens — even when the stoves are off. Switching to electric appliances helps…

You wouldn't sit in your running gas car in your garage, so why do you accept poisoning yourself in your own kitchen with a gas stove? vist.ly/5m8u6 h/t @alisontakemura.bsky.social @canarymedia.bsky.social

Gas stoves kept pumping out pollution even when turned off: About a third of fossil-fueled kitchens produced NO2 levels outside of business hours that exceeded health standards. The culprit was pilot lights.

Rising electricity demand is driving up prices. Faster solar #interconnection = more affordable power, sooner. States that cut red tape now help their residents save before the final #solartaxcredit deadline. #GridUnlocked gridunlocked.org

For-profit utilities cost more, clearly shown in this state-issued analysis of privatizing Santee Cooper in S.C. So when investor-owned utilities claim that it's expensive to switch to public power, they're lying.

ft.comThe very human problem with not-quite-self-driving carsThe better an automated system performs, the more complacent — and dangerous — we become

+++++++++++++ So much tech that can make human-driven cars safer: cameras, radar, LIDAR. But some people want to fire human drivers to make more money so we have this...

Sarah O'Connor@sarahoconnorft.ft.com

“The public don’t quite understand the subtle ways that automation affects their attention [but] it’s like giving people a sedative” - why expecting human drivers to vigilantly monitor partially-automated cars isn't a great idea www.ft.com/content/6734...

I love hearing these stories of using AI agents to get through the barriers that companies have erected to prevent us from getting help: www.nytimes.com/2026/09/22/t.... (until websites block the agents)

10 Sept

There is literally no better way to make sure Americans seek out and watch the Kimmel-Talarico interview. It's helpful when the authoritarian in charge is this dumb.

energymarketspodcast.buzzsprout.comS5E7: John Farrell, director of ILSR's Energy Democracy Initiative, eyes municipal ownership as an answer to monopoly utility abuses - The Energy Markets PodcastJohn Farrell, director of ILSR's Energy Democracy Initiative, sees municipal ownership of utilities as an answer to the abuses consumers suffer at the hands of investor-owned monopoly utility companies. But he also sees competitive markets as enabling the sorts of local self-reliance his organiza...

9 Sept

Are city-owned utilities the answer to out-of-control for-profit monopolies? I was delighted to join Bryan Lee on the Energy Markets Podcast to wrestle with this question on either end of a broad conversation about the corruption in the utility industry. vist.ly/5httn

9 Sept

Accurate

calmatters.digitaldemocracy.orgAB 2313: Gas corporations: gas distribution service line replacements: alternatives. | Digital DemocracyDigital Democracy overview of bill AB 2313: Gas corporations: gas distribution service line replacements: alternatives.

3 Sept

Wish I'd had this option when Centerpoint did my line in Minneapolis two years ago... Instead of forcing gas customers to pay for distribution line replacements, offer them the same amount of money to swap our their polluting gas appliances. vist.ly/5h74t

2 Sept

Using existing distributed resources for resource adequacy? Yes, please! Hoping that Gov. Newsom signs SB 913 to unlock better market pathways for home/business solar and storage to help the grid.

calmatters.digitaldemocracy.orgSB 327: Public utilities: review of accounts: electrical and gas corporations: rates: political influence activities. | Digital DemocracyDigital Democracy overview of bill SB 327: Public utilities: review of accounts: electrical and gas corporations: rates: political influence activities.

2 Sept

👍 Another important monopoly utility accountability bill nears the finish line in California––SB327 would ban for-profit utilities from billing their customers for efforts to oppose public power campaigns: vist.ly/5g24a

ilsr.orgData Centers, Energy Affordability, and the Case for Homegrown Power — Episode 278 of Local Energy Rules | Energy DemocracyHow household power can solve the energy affordability crisis.

2 Sept

Kristin Eberhard of @rewiringamerica.bsky.social makes a great case for homegrown power to supply new grid needs. It's a topic prompted by data centers, but a great standalone opportunity -- tapping the energy resources in our communities! vist.ly/5gztx

1 Sept

Attn: Pete Hegseth

Lora Kolodny@lorak.bsky.social

propublica.org8 Things You Should Know About Trump’s Effort to “Take Over” the Midterm ElectionsFrom dismantling guardrails that upheld the integrity of past elections to gutting federal agencies and installing allies who supported Trump’s claim that the 2020 vote was stolen, here are the key ta...

1 Sept

Are we prepared for multiple federal officials to claim fraud on and after election day?

ProPublica@propublica.org

Among the first agencies President Donald Trump gutted after taking office for his second term was a Department of Homeland Security team that had repeatedly disproved his stolen election claims.

Hey #Minnesota, remember that Election Day is Nov. 3.

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com

Minnesota Republican US Senate candidate Michele Tayofa doubles down on her remarks that people should skip Starbucks to support Trump's war against Iran: "We do need to patriotic about this, so I stand by that"

Let me do an on-brand example of how writing should identify actors clearly. Do consumers A) pay high prices because utilities are hampered by high profit margins and weak regulatory oversight?

John Farrell@johnffarrell.bsky.social

"Hampered"? Gotta love the editors at the NY Times who make it seems like the debt "happened" to Trump rather than it being almost entirely due to wars of choice and his party's tax cuts.

Or do consumers pay high prices because B) monopoly, for-profit utilities gouge consumers through excessive profiteering that's allowed by weak regulators? Utilities and regulators do this to consumers. Don't let weak writing absolve them of responsibility.

Our laws should be able to distinguish between the harm of a behavior when practiced between friends and neighbors and when it's shilled on the internet by giant corporations. Ban online gambling, especially prediction markets. Allow friends to bet on whatever they want offline.

David Haralson@laughlax.bsky.social

I knew the gambling scourge was getting bad, but I didn't realize just how bad. Some of the numbers in this article, WHEW... They aren't good.

Another great example? High frequency stock trading. Big social value in broad investment into publicly traded companies. Zero social value in allowing Wall Street to arbitrage fast internet connections. What else am I missing?

19 Aug

"Hampered"? Gotta love the editors at the NY Times who make it seems like the debt "happened" to Trump rather than it being almost entirely due to wars of choice and his party's tax cuts.

Interesting, the editors updated the subtitle to change "hampered" to "undercut." By where's the actor? The GOP and Trump pushed all of these choices. His promises to restore fiscal order were clearly unfounded, and his actions have been entirely the opposite.

instagram.comInstitute for Local Self-Reliance on Instagram: "SoCal Edison’s failure to act on repeated safety warnings before the deadly Eaton fire exposes a flaw in the investor-owned utility model: because utilities earn shareholder profits on capital investments, they have an incentive to prioritize new infrastructure over routine maintenance. It’s a tragic example of the danger of allowing private utilities to shape the rules meant to govern them — and it demonstrates the need for structural change."2,536 likes, 81 comments - ilsr_org on August 25, 2026: "SoCal Edison’s failure to act on repeated safety warnings before the deadly Eaton fire exposes a flaw in the investor-owned utility model: because utilities earn shareholder profits on capital investments, they have an incentive to prioritize new infrastructure over routine maintenance. It’s a tragic example of the danger of allowing private utilities to shape the rules meant to govern them — and it demonstrates the need for structural change.".

27 Aug

What an interesting coincidence. The Southern California Edison transmission tower responsible for the Eaton Fire in California was left up due to the utility lobbying for a rule to allow it to leave abandoned infrastructure in place. #monopoly vist.ly/5gc9u

27 Aug

Learn more about the problems of utility monopoly power in our 2024 deep dive, Upcharge: https://ilsr.org/articles/report-upcharge-electric-utility-monopoly/

youtube.comThe Secret Behind High Electricity BillsPrivate utility companies like PG&E, Duke, and Exelon control electricity for nearly 70% of Americans — and they're using that monopoly power to drive up you...

26 Aug

Banger of a video from Robert Reich explaining how excessive utility profits are driving up your bill. Thanks for the h/t on @ilsr.bsky.social map of public power campaigns! vist.ly/5g7t2

26 Aug

If you want more information about the vicious cycle of utility monopoly power, check out Upcharge: https://ilsr.org/articles/report-upcharge-electric-utility-monopoly/

canarymedia.com3 ways to fix California's utility spending problem — if lawmakers actSB 905 would curb returns on wildfire costs, seek new financing, and explore performance metrics to curb sky-high electric rates. Can it overcome utility…

20 Aug

California utilities charging twice the national average want guaranteed profits on the wildfire costs their infrastructure caused. SB 905 would trim that. Utilities are, naturally, fighting it fiercely. @jeffstjohn @canarymedia vist.ly/5fji4

@karleeweinmann.bsky.social

20 Aug

Listen to my interview with Mark Ellis about for a deeper dive on reducing excessive profits for monopoly utilities: https://ilsr.org/article/energy-democracy/5-tactics-to-fight-utility-rates-ler226/

John Farrell reposted

Karlee Weinmann

19 Aug

Our @energyandpolicy.org team is looking for an experienced researcher to lead utility accountability work in California. If you have investigative chops and know your way around utility regulation and energy politics, this could be a great fit: energyandpolicy.org/research-man...

energyandpolicy.orgResearch ManagerThe Energy and Policy Institute is a watchdog organization working to expose attacks on renewable energy and counter misinformation by fossil fuel and utility interests.

insideclimatenews.orgYou know it's bad out there for utility customers when Alabama, famous for not doing a rate case for 40 years, decides to scrutinize utility profits; vist.ly/5f6emYou know it's bad out there for utility customers when Alabama, famous for not doing a rate case for 40 years, decides to scrutinize utility profits; vist.ly/5f6em

17 Aug

You know it's bad out there for utility customers when Alabama, famous for not doing a rate case for 40 years, decides to scrutinize utility profits; vist.ly/5f6em

John Farrell reposted

Energy and Policy Institute

@energyandpolicy.org

13 Aug

NEW: The utility industry doesn’t want you to know about this group. www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

washingtonpost.comHow utility and tech firms ‘educate’ regulators with big donations, secret retreatsWhile consumers object to high energy costs and data center development, utility and tech companies are sponsoring events for friendly regulators.

12 Aug

It's a great idea to be able to discipline ICE agents when they cross the line, but why not just use an off-the-shelf shock collar?

ms.nowAmericans’ electric bills are skyrocketing as utilities rake in record profitsAli Velshi breaks down the bad business model that has Americans paying more for their electric bills, as utilities rake in record profits.

11 Aug

More biting mainstream coverage of the broken utility system that rewards for-profit utilities for spending more. And more. And more. Regulation is clearly not enough vist.ly/5edci

11 Aug

Couldn't happen to a more deserving set of vulture capitalists...

expressnews.comClient ChallengeClient Challenge

10 Aug

Attacking publicly owned utilities as "monopolies" will likely backfire, since unlike for-profit monopolies, San Antonio's public utility offers more affordable energy to its customers than its for-profit peers. vist.ly/5e8zu