Law Commons^™

Curbing Energy Sprawl With Microgrids, Sara C. Bronin

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

Energy sprawl - the phenomenon of ever-increasing consumption of land, particularly in rural areas, required to site energy generation facilities - is a real and growing problem. Over the next twenty years, at least sixty-seven million acres of land will have been developed for energy projects, destroying wildlife habitats and fragmenting landscapes. According to one influential report, even renewable energy projects - especially large-scale projects that require large-scale transmission and distribution infrastructure - contribute to energy sprawl. This Article does not aim to stop large-scale renewable energy projects or even argue that policymakers focus solely on land use in determining …

Electricity Merger Control In The Light Of The Eu "Third Energy Package", Jorge Velasco Fernández

Cornell Law School Inter-University Graduate Student Conference Papers

After more than two years of legislative proceedings within the European Union Institutions, the “third energy package” –a set of legislations conceived to lead the EU electricity and gas markets to a complete integration and liberalization - was published on August 2009. Nonetheless, the set of legislations was not passed without long discussions on some of its cornerstones, particularly in that related to the unbundling provisions in the electricity markets.

Against this backdrop, the EU merger control applied by the European Commission faces new challenges. The role that the EU merger regulation should play in the liberalization process arena is …

Solar Rights For Texas Property Owners, Sara C. Bronin

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

In response to Jamie France's note, A Proposed Solar Access Law for the State of Texas, Professor Bronin urges future commentators to focus on three additional areas of inquiry related to proposed solar rights regimes. Bronin argues that such proposals would be strengthened by discussion of potential legal challenges to the proposals, related political issues, and renewable energy microgrids. Ms. France’s proposal for the State of Texas includes the elimination of preexisting private property restrictions that negatively affect solar access. Bronin argues that this proposal would be strengthened by a discussion of potential challenges under federal and state takings clauses. …