Resources on Community Solar & Renewable Energy Strategies

General Resources

Law School Problem Solving Initiative Winter 2024, University of Michigan, “Roadmap to Clean & Equitable Power in Michigan,” https://seas.umich.edu/sites/default/files/2024-08/Roadmap%20to%20Clean%20%26%20Equitable%20Power%20in%20Michigan%20_%20U-M%20Report.pdf

This document includes excerpts from the threads about community strategies.  If you wish to add something that may be missing, please do so.  You can also edit out anything you might regret having said: https://sustainablesystemsfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Solar-Strategies-thread.docx

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Ann Arbor Sustainable Energy Utility

City of Ann Arbor web site, “Ann Arbor’s Sustainable Energy Utility,” https://www.a2gov.org/sustainability-innovations-home/sustainability-me/ann-arbors-sustainable-energy-utility-seu/

City of Ann Arbor Technical Document, “Ann Arbor’s Sustainable Energy Utility,” nd, https://www.a2gov.org/media/mhwpfhsl/a2_sustainable_energy_report_2021_v7.pdf 

Ysabelle Kempe, “A Michigan city’s ‘sustainable energy utility’ got the greenlight from voters. What now?”, SmartCitiesDive, Dec. 10, 2024, https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/news/ann-arbor-michigan-sustainable-energy-utility-approved-voters-what-now/735045/

Bob Krause, “Commentary on Ann Arbor’s Sustainable Energy Utility (SEU),” Feb. 2024, https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oiOp2a4uYYo_tV-i0w24ucAFAGkIjhqCAMQ07NcWrnA/edit?tab=t.0

Bob Krause, “Spark Community Utilities.”

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Municipal Utilities

California Legislative Information, “Municipal Utility District Act,” 1951, https://www.ebmud.com/download_file/force/6815/839?MUD-Act-2020-web.pdf

San Francisco Board of Supervisors, “Municipal Power Authorities & Municipal Utility Districts,” https://sfbos.org/municipal-power-authorities-municipal-or-public

Santa Cruz County, “Municipal Solar Utility,” https://www.codepublishing.com/CA/SantaCruzCounty/html/SantaCruzCounty12/SantaCruzCounty1226.html

East Bay MUD, Orinda Photovoltaic Renewable Energy Project, 2024, https://www.ebmud.com/about-us/construction-and-maintenance/construction-my-neighborhood/orindapv

Elisa Wood, “Is There an Easier Way to Create Public Power Utilities?,” Energy Changemakers, Dec. 7, 2023, https://energychangemakers.com/targeted-public-power/

Sean Wolfe,”San Jose floats building a public utility — PG&E promises grid upgrades to avoid that,” Factor This, Dec. 4, 2024, https://www.renewableenergyworld.com/energy-business/policy-and-regulation/san-jose-floats-building-a-public-utility-pge-promises-grid-upgrades-to-avoid-that/

Gabriel Greschler, “Riling PG&E, San Jose approves its own electric utility, will study feasibility,” San Jose Mercury News, Oct. 4, 2023, https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/10/03/riling-pge-san-jose-approves-its-own-electric-utility-will-study-feasibility/

Devan Patel, “PG&E promises big improvements in attempt to keep San Jose from pursuing city utility,” SiliconValley.com, Dec. 4, 2024, https://www.siliconvalley.com/2024/12/03/pge-san-jose-public-utility-energy-development/

Vincente Vera, “San Jose-PG&E partnership could end power utility plans,” San Jose Spotlight, Dec. 26, 2024, https://sanjosespotlight.com/san-jose-pge-partnership-could-end-electric-power-utilityplans/

California Municipal Utilities Association, “Publicly Owned Electric Utilities: Frequently
Asked Questions (FAQ),” Feb. 2019, https://www.cmua.org/Files/Capitol%20Day%202019/CMUA-POU-FAQ-2019-2-4.pdf

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Gonzales Documents

Electric & Energy Cooperatives

Tuttle Law Group (cooperatives): http://www.cooplawgroup.com/#services

Ingrid Behrsin, “Wisconsin’s SolarShare: A Co-op Model for Local Clean Power — Episode 228 of Local Energy Rules,” Institute for Local Self-Reliance, Podcast, Jan. 29, 2025, https://ilsr.org/articles/solarshare-wisconsin-ler228/?mc_cid=94848defce&mc_eid=bd3d48177d

Cooperative Community Energy, http://www.ccenergy.com/ (current status unclear)

THE COOPERATIVE MODEL FOR CLEAN ENERGY IN CALIFORNIA, GoldenState, the Investment Cooperative, https://sustainablesystemsfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/GoldenState-Cooperative1.pdf

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Other Resources

Julian Spector, “Hundreds of New Yorkers got free batteries to help clean up grid,” Canary Media, Oct. 30, 2024, https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/virtual-power-plants/hundreds-of-new-yorkers-got-free-batteries-to-clean-up-the-grid?

For a more complete list of resources, please see https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SalCmNcBk0f1xQZDQ0KkDYfVAw8ShYvAEq6pNkcGPJU/edit?tab=t.0