Kari Lydersen

Kari Lydersen

Kari Lydersen has written for the Energy News Network since January 2011. She is an author and journalist who worked for the Washington Post’s Midwest bureau from 1997 through 2009. Her work has also appeared in The New York Times, Chicago Reader, Chicago News Cooperative and other publications. Based in Chicago, Kari covers Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana as well as environmental justice topics.

The Latest from Kari Lydersen

Green steel

Indiana residents push for a cleaner steel industry in their community

Nippon Steel wants to buy U.S. Steel. Locals near a steel plant welcome the move — as long as the Japanese firm converts the facility to be less polluting.

By Kari Lydersen . 31 October 2024
Solar

This farmer was skeptical about solar — until he began grazing sheep

Illinois farmer Trent Gerlach had misgivings about solar panels taking up cropland, but he saw a chance to try agrivoltaics, a practice catching on around the US.

By Kari Lydersen . 15 October 2024
Solar

Solar farms don't hurt nearby property values, new research finds

In fact, utility-scale solar projects can modestly boost property values, according to data from the Midwest.

By Kari Lydersen . 7 October 2024
Clean energy

Will data centers help or hurt the Midwest's energy transition?

A $3.3B Microsoft data center complex planned for Wisconsin highlights the challenges of meeting new power demand with clean energy.

By Kari Lydersen . 20 June 2024
Solar

Can AI help community solar projects hold onto their customers?

Solar firm Solstice has developed AI tools to identify disengaged community subscribers in hopes of decreasing churn and making programs more efficient.

By Kari Lydersen . 4 June 2024
Hydrogen

The hydrogen companies pushing for strict subsidy rules

Some industry players, including the federal “hydrogen hubs,” want looser rules for the U.S. climate law’s clean hydrogen subsidies — but it's far from unanimous.

By Kari Lydersen . 8 April 2024
Politics

How IRA funds help break through climate-action barriers in Wisconsin

A new injection of federal money is jump-starting local and state initiatives that advocates hope will gain significant ground despite legislative inertia.

By Kari Lydersen . 12 October 2023
Electrification

Chicago to fund electric stoves and heat pumps for lower-income homes

The $15 million initiative is expected to help remove fossil fuel appliances from at least 200 households that might not otherwise have the means to do so.

By Kari Lydersen . 11 August 2023
Solar

Bringing community solar to low-income customers is harder than it looks

Reactivate CEO Utopia Hill says building trust is critical in communities where many people are deeply skeptical of outsiders offering to make a deal.

By Kari Lydersen . 11 April 2023
Solar

Mixing solar power and agriculture: A blueberry farm does a test run

A farmer in Maine has teamed up with a solar developer and university researchers to find out how his berries fare when partially shaded by solar panels.

By Kari Lydersen . 12 September 2022

Kari Lydersen

The Latest from Kari Lydersen

Indiana residents push for a cleaner steel industry in their community

This farmer was skeptical about solar — until he began grazing sheep

Solar farms don't hurt nearby property values, new research finds

Will data centers help or hurt the Midwest's energy transition?

Can AI help community solar projects hold onto their customers?

The hydrogen companies pushing for strict subsidy rules

How IRA funds help break through climate-action barriers in Wisconsin

Chicago to fund electric stoves and heat pumps for lower-income homes

Bringing community solar to low-income customers is harder than it looks

Mixing solar power and agriculture: A blueberry farm does a test run