Search

Begin New Search
Proceed to Checkout

Search Results for All:
(Showing results 1 to 7 of 7)



Financing Solar Repowering and the Quantification of External Benefits

Jules H. Kamin and J. Clair Ellis

Year: 1982
Volume: Volume 3
Number: Number 2
DOI: 10.5547/ISSN0195-6574-EJ-Vol3-No2-9
View Abstract

Abstract:
Encouragement of investment in domestic energy projects capable of displacing imported petroleum is a central objective of U.S. energy policy. Private industry will be the primary vehicle for developing improvements in efficiency of new technologies, reducing costs to levels competitive with conventional technologies, and building the required industrial infrastructure.



Why Wind Is Not Coal: On the Economics of Electricity Generation

Lion Hirth, Falko Ueckerdt, and Ottmar Edenhofer

Year: 2016
Volume: Volume 37
Number: Number 3
DOI: 10.5547/01956574.37.3.lhir
View Abstract

Abstract:
Electricity is a paradoxical economic good: it is highly homogeneous and heterogeneous at the same time. Electricity prices vary dramatically between moments in time, between location, and according to lead-time between contract and delivery. This three-dimensional heterogeneity has implication for the economic assessment of power generation technologies: different technologies, such as coal-fired plants and wind turbines, produce electricity that has, on average, a different economic value. Several tools that are used to evaluate generators in practice ignore these value differences, including "levelized electricity costs", "grid parity", and simple macroeconomic models. This paper provides a rigorous and general discussion of heterogeneity and its implications for the economic assessment of electricity generating technologies. It shows that these tools are biased, specifically, they tend to favor wind and solar power over dispatchable generators where these renewable generators have a high market share. A literature review shows that, at a wind market share of 30-40%, the value of a megawatt-hour of electricity from a wind turbine can be 20-50% lower than the value of one megawatt-hour as demanded by consumers. We introduce "System LCOE" as one way of comparing generation technologies economically.



Grid parity of solar energy: imminent fact or future's fiction

Spiros Papaefthimiou, Manolis Souliotis, and Kostas Andriosopoulos

Year: 2016
Volume: Volume 37
Number: Bollino-Madlener Special Issue
DOI: 10.5547/01956574.37.SI2.spap
View Abstract

Abstract:
One of the major questions related to renewable energy systems is whether we are approaching solar grid parity or not. Solar based power generation will play an important role in future sustainable energy mixes due to its high reliability, yield predictability and capacity for electricity production during peak demand when the electricity price is usually high. But nowadays the economic viability of these technologies depends on the subsidies usually granted, mainly by public authorities, and in a minor way by electricity producers. The article evaluates the potential of solar energy based technologies for viable electricity generation, focusing on Photovoltaics (PV) and Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) systems. The evaluation was not only focused on EU but also covered global markets, assessing the necessary barriers and thresholds preventing or boosting these technologies to reach grid parity. The observed rapid growth in deployment of the studied technologies (especially PV) in recent years is largely policy-driven and whether this trend will be sustainable depends on whether governments will continue to expand financial incentives and policy mandates, as well as address regulatory and market barriers. Keywords: Solar energy, Grid parity, Photovoltaics, Concentrated Solar Power systems.



Integration of Renewables into the Ontario Electricity System

Brian Rivard and Adonis Yatchew

Year: 2016
Volume: Volume 37
Number: Bollino-Madlener Special Issue
DOI: 10.5547/01956574.37.SI2.briv
View Abstract

Abstract:
The Ontario electricity industry has a 'hybrid' structure: electricity is bought and sold in a competitive wholesale electricity market while supply mix planning and procurement are conducted through a government agency. Most generation is secured through long-term contracts. Aggressive renewable energy programs have led to rapidly growing renewable capacity, mainly wind generation. Coal-fired generation has been eliminated and electricity sales have dropped. The competitive hourly market price has declined and there is a clear merit-order effect: an increase of wind generation from 500 MW to 1500 MW can be expected to decrease price by 7 CAD/MWh. However, the all-in price, which incorporates contractually guaranteed supply prices, has risen from about 60 to 100 CAD/MWh between 2009 and 2014. Operational and market integration of renewable resources has been achieved relatively smoothly. The procurement process is over-centralized: increased reliance on market discipline and greater separation between governmental policy makers and regulators would enhance both the efficacy and efficiency of decarbonization policies.



Cost, Contractors and Scale: An Empirical Analysis of the California Solar Market

Johannes Mauritzen

Year: 2017
Volume: Volume 38
Number: Number 6
DOI: 10.5547/01956574.38.6.jmau
View Abstract

Abstract:
This paper presents an empirical analysis of the rapidly growing California rooftop solar photovoltaic market using detailed data of over 100,000 solar installations between 2007 and 2014. The rapid fall in the cost of solar panels stand central in the expansion of this market. I use a semi-parametric regression model to aid identification of cost factors by decomposing time-varying and cross-sectional components. I find that the use of Chinese manufactured panels are associated with costs that are 6% lower. Economies of scale at the local level (number of yearly installations in a zip code) and at the installation level (size of the installation) are also associated with lower costs. Higher subsidies, and higher contractor market-share are associated with higher costs. I use an exploratory analysis of the dominant contractor, SolarCity, to discuss non-cost factors in the expansion of the solar photovoltaic market.



Is a Wetter Grid a Greener Grid? Estimating Emissions Offsets for Wind and Solar Power in the Presence of Large Hydroelectric Capacity

Miguel Castro

Year: 2019
Volume: Volume 40
Number: Number 1
DOI: 10.5547/01956574.40.1.mcas
View Abstract

Abstract:
I use random fluctuations in hourly wind and solar generation in California to estimate how much they reduce emissions of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides. These offsets depend on the direct displacement of high-cost natural gas generators, and on the hydropower reallocation that occurs to the hours with the lowest increase in renewable generation. Solar power daily intermittency shifts hydro from the afternoon to the evening, which increases its emissions offsets since the gas generators displaced in the evening are dirtier than those kept running in the afternoon. In contrast, wind offsets are less sensitive to hydropower reallocation, since it leads to a substitution of generators with similar emissions intensities. These findings highlight the importance of accounting for interactions between wind, solar, and hydro capacity in assessing their environmental benefits. Similar lessons will apply to electric grids with storage capacity.



A Compound Real Option Approach for Determining the Optimal Investment Path for RPV-Storage Systems

Benjamin Hassi, Tomas Reyes, and Enzo Sauma

Year: 2022
Volume: Volume 43
Number: Number 3
DOI: 10.5547/01956574.43.3.bhas
View Abstract

Abstract:
The use of residential Photovoltaic-Storage systems may produce large benefits to owners and has expanded rapidly in recent years. Nonetheless, large uncertainties regarding the profitability of these systems make it necessary to incorporate flexibilities in their economic evaluations. This paper offers a new method to evaluate the compound flexibility of both the option of delaying investments and the option of further expanding the capacity of solar photovoltaic modules and batteries during the investment horizon. Flexibility is modeled as a compound real option, whose value is computed using a novel method that we call Compound Least Squares Monte Carlo (CLSM). The model is applied to the investment decisions associated to a residential Photovoltaic-Storage system. Results suggest that investors should use the proposed CLSM method in the economic valuation of multi-stage projects, since considering only a single flexibility could promote sub-optimal decisions. Moreover, in our case study, we show that it is optimal to break the investment down into two steps or more in 36% of future scenarios, on average.





Begin New Search
Proceed to Checkout

 

© 2024 International Association for Energy Economics | Privacy Policy | Return Policy