Status and Trends in U.S. Compliance and Voluntary Renewable Energy Certificate Markets (2010 Data)

Abstract

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Solar Renewable Energy Certificate (SREC) Markets: Status and Trends

“…However, voluntary SREC transactions have been limited to date. In 2010, SRECs represented 0.2% of U.S. voluntary market sales, which includes sales by utility green pricing programs, competitive green power programs, and unbundled REC purchases (Heeter and Bird 2011). In some instances utilities use SRECs to include solar in the resource mix of utility green power programs offered to residential and small commercial customers, but they are a relatively small fraction of total program supplies.…”

“…In some instances utilities use SRECs to include solar in the resource mix of utility green power programs offered to residential and small commercial customers, but they are a relatively small fraction of total program supplies. In 2010, utility programs procured about 39,000 MWh of solar energy to supply 0.8% of the green energy sold through their green pricing programs (Heeter and Bird 2011). In some instances, utilities have offered fixed-price, long-term contracts for the solar energy output and used the SRECs to supply green pricing programs.…”

Additionality of wind energy investments in the U.S. voluntary green power market

“…The retailers that operate in this voluntary green power market typically purchase Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) from renewable energy project developers to resell to their customers. The vast majority of the U.S. voluntary green power market is based upon wind power projects to supply these RECs [1,2].…”

“…Further, the vast majority of the U.S. voluntary green power market is associated with wind power (83%) and some form of REC transaction (56 to 85%) 3 [2]. Therefore, the focus on wind power projects associated with the Green-e program is assumed to be a reasonable proxy for the broader voluntary green power market.…”

“…The wind resources data take advantage of a high-resolution spatial and temporal wind dataset-derived from assimilated meteorological fields compiled by NOAA-to derive project-specific generation capacity factors [17]. 2 The Green-e Energy program certified retail and wholesale green power products and is administered b the Center for Resource Solutions and is the largest such program in the United States. See http://www.green-e.org/.…”