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30 Wis. Int'l L.J. 595 (2012-2013)
Small Is (Still) Beautiful: Designing U.S. Energy Policies to Increase Localized Renewable Energy Generation

handle is hein.journals/wisint30 and id is 621 raw text is: SMALL IS (STILL) BEAUTIFUL: DESIGNING U.S. ENERGY POLICIES TO INCREASE LOCALIZED RENEWABLE ENERGY GENERATION MELISSA POWERS* I. Introduction ...................................... 596 II. The Rise and Risks of Large Renewables ....................605 A. Renewable Energy Policies Promote Large Remote Facilities................... ................606 1. Renewable Energy Tax Credits ............ ..... 607 2. Renewable Portfolio Standards ............ .....610 B. The Risks of Large and Remote Renewables ..... ......614 1. Siting Constraints ........... ........ ........615 2. Reliability and Transmission Constraints. .......... 617 3. Economic Risks Presented by Natural Gas.....................619 III. The Case for Distributed Generation ................ .....622 A. Siting Advantages ....................... ......623 1. Siting Flexibility ...................... 623 2. Multi-Use and Multiple Benefits ................625 3. Easier Resolution to Siting Disputes.... ..............626 B. Transmission Improvements .................. ....627 C. Reliability .......................... ..................628 D. Costs and Risk Mitigation .................. ......629 E. Technological Investments ............................632 IV. The Limits of Existing Distributed Generation Policies.................633 A. The Limits of Net Metering and Feed-In Tariffs ..................634 1. Net Metering ........................ ...... 635 a. The Advantages of Net Metering ....................636 b. The Limits of Net Metering ............ .....638 2. Feed-in Tariffs ..................... ............ 641 a. The Advantages of FITs........................641 * Associate Professor of Law, Lewis & Clark Law School. The author thanks Steven Weissman and the other participants at the Wisconsin International Law Journal symposium, as well as the participants of the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation Natural Resources Law Teachers Institute for their helpful comments and feedback. Thanks also to Paige Spence, Meghan Dutton, Rob Molinelli, and Allison Mahaney for their invaluable research assistance. Finally, many thanks to the editors and staff at the Wisconsin International Law Journal for their excellent editorial work.

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