News Archives
This page includes news on activities related to the Energy Collaborative Analysis Initiative and results of collaborative efforts.
Some of the following documents are available as Adobe Acrobat PDFs. Download Adobe Reader
April 2008
March 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
June 27-28, 2007
The Energy Collaborative Analysis Initiative (ECAI) group held its second initiative workshop on June 27-28, 2007, in Washington, D.C. A select group of analysts from federal government (including the Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, and Department of Defense), state government (including representatives from California, Colorado, Georgia, Michigan, and New York), and research institutions (such as the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, Rutgers, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology) participated in this hands-on event. The workshop focused on ways to improve cross-organizational energy analysis and targeted real ways to improve energy analysis through better data, analysis methodologies, and results.
Topics included:
- Improve behavioral factors in models and tools
- Energy model data resources (technologies, transmission, renewables, petroleum)
- Integrating energy and environmental scenarios
- Modeling aggressive renewable goals
- Economic impact tools and methodologies
- Risk and uncertainty modeling
To view presentations and other materials from the event, access the agenda page on this Web site. A summary and other materials will be posted soon.
April 2007
The ECAI task group assigned to Topic B ("Improve deployment partnerships between industry and government") during the first workshop in 2006 held its first conference call late last year. At the time, the group decided to conduct a survey of member organizations, which would compare similarities and differences among the participating organizations relating to RD&D goal setting, activities, and evaluation. The purpose of the survey was to determine the extent to which members might apply similar and/or successful models and methods — and to learn from other organizations. While interest at the time seemed high, only two organizations completed the online survey. As a result, the task group is pursuing a different path for learning and sharing within this topic area.
This article is intended to share some of the experiences of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and the Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA) — the team leads for this collaborative effort — as they relate to RD&D practices used by state organizations.
See the full story on this Web site.
Collaboration Opportunities
March 2007
Computer technology is leading to sweeping changes in how we can reason about groups in diverse cultures. Examples include computer systems to aid researchers in gathering data about different cultural groups, learning the intensity of opinions that those groups have on various topics, building/extracting models of behavior of those groups, and continuously refining those behaviors through shared, multiperson, learning experiences.
These developments are inherently cross-disciplinary. They blend the behavioral and social sciences—fields such as political science, psychology, journalism, anthropology, and sociology—with technological fields such as computer science, computational linguistics, game theory, and operations research. Currently, many of these research communities are largely unconnected. There is a need to bring them together to help forge a common understanding of principles, techniques, and application areas—that is the purpose of this conference.
For more background on the conference and instructions on submitting papers, access the ICCCD2007 Web site.
Analysis Activities
ECAI Holds Web Forum on Modeling Renewable Project Financing
January 2008
The Energy Collaborative Analysis Initiative (ECAI) Planning Committee presented its fourth Web forum, "Modeling New Renewable Project Financing," on January 31, 2008.
During the Web forum, presenters discussed the significant evolution of financing new renewable projects during the past decade. Speakers included John McKinsey of Stoel Rives, Chris Namovicz and Tom Lee of the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration, and Nate Blair of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
For more information on the speakers and/or to access their presentations, please access the Web Forum Archive on the ECAI Web site. Please contact Alison Wise with any questions.
Environmental Protection Agency
April 2008
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is developing a guide that will enable state energy offices to better use analysis tools in making informed policy decisions. The guide, which is expected to be released in June, will explain the types of models available and how to use them.
Accelerating Change for Energy Efficiency and Renewables
April 8-9, 2008
The first Accelerating Change for Energy Efficiency and Renewables Conference will be held on April 8-9, 2008, in Denver, Colorado.
This critical collaborative effort (sponsored by Summit Blue Consulting and E Source) provides a forum for utility and government professionals, socially conscious corporations, academics, researchers, NGOs, and commercial marketers who design, implement, and influence energy-efficiency and renewable programs and marketing campaigns. The conference will focus on marketing activities that can bridge the gap between attitude and action, persuading buyers to build more effective choices into their personal lives and corporate decision-making structures, as well as accelerate change toward more efficient use of energy in homes and businesses, and more widespread adoption of clean energy choices.
To register for the conference, contact Janice Field at 303-345-9112.
National Governors Association
December 2007
As part of the National Governors Associations (NGA) Securing a Clean Energy Future Initiative (SCEF Initiative), the NGA released the first SCEF Initiative publication "A Call to Action," and announced a clean energy partnership between NGA and Discovery Communications. The "Call to Action" report (PDF 804 KB) Download Adobe Reader outlines the group's course of action for 2008. The Securing a Clean Energy Future's gubernatorial task force will identify and implement approaches that:
- Use our energy resources better through efficiency and conservation;
- Promote non-petroleum-based fuels such as ethanol and biodiesel;
- Take reasonable steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and
- Accelerate research and development of advanced clean energy technologies.
American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy
November 2007
The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) held its first Behavior, Energy, and Climate Change (BECC) conference in November 2007. The BECC conference (organized by the Precourt Institute for Energy Efficiency at Stanford University, the California Institute for Energy and Environment at the University of California, and the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy) was the first national conference focused on understanding the behavior and decision-making of individuals and organizations — and using that knowledge to help accelerate our transition to an energy-efficient and low-carbon economy.
Northeast States Center for Clean Air Future
November 2007
The Northeast States Center for Clean Air Future (NESCCAF) is evaluating and designing a low carbon fuel standard (LCFS) for potential application in the Northeast market. The group is conducting technical and policy research aimed at developing an effective regional strategy to reduce the carbon intensity of fuels used for transportation, heating, and electricity generation. This analysis focuses on the full-life-cycle carbon emissions from fuels and strives to be supportive of, and consistent with, similar work currently underway in California. This effort builds on work conducted by NESCCAF and the Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management (NESCAUM) during the past four years, which assesses opportunities to reduce light and heavy-duty vehicle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and promote adoption of the low-emission vehicle (LEV II) program in the Northeast.
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
August 2007
The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is collecting and analyzing maintenance, fuel economy, and other vehicle performance data from 50 United Parcel Service (UPS) hybrid diesel step delivery vans powered by an Eaton Corp. electric hybrid propulsion system. Access the NREL news release for more information.
NYSERDA Provides Insight on Strategic Planning
June 2007
During a recent forum, Paul DeCotis talked about the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority's (NYSERDA) approach to energy planning for the state. NYSERDA's goal is to grow the state's economy and improve its environment by partnering with businesses, industries, and residents to invest in innovative, environmentally benign and energy-efficient technologies. The group's three-year strategic plan, "Leading the Way in Energy Innovation - A Three-Year Strategic Outlook, 2007-2010," (PDF 514 KB) presents an overview of and outlook for NYSERDA's programs and services that are helping guide the state toward greater energy self-sufficiency, improved energy efficiency, smart economic growth, and a cleaner environment.
NYSERDA's partnerships support (1) pursuing technology innovations, (2) developing, demonstrating, and deploying new products, (3) developing energy systems infrastructure, and (4) developing and disseminating objective technical data and information.
For more about NYSERDA and its programs, visit the Web site.
Topic Groups Provide Activity Updates
April 2007
The ECAI topic groups have been working on analysis activities identified at the first workshop last summer. Updates from the past quarter (January-March) have been submitted to ECAI organizers and posted to the Web site. For a consolidated version of activity updates in all eight topics, you can access the activity matrix on the ECAI Web site; for more detailed information, access the individual topics from the main collaboration activities page.
We're also interested in learning more about you and your group's work in any of these topic areas. Access the Analysis Activities by Organization section of the Web site to access a downloadable form and join our list of collaborators!
PAE Releases Workshop Outcomes Report
January 2007
As part of initial efforts to develop a structure for the Energy Analysis Collaborative Initiative, a multiorganizational planning committee held a kickoff workshop in June 2006. Participants were asked to discuss methods for making analysis more efficient and cost-effective, increasing credibility of analytical methods, and standardizing assumptions and methodologies. The workshop allowed energy analysis leaders to identify priority energy analysis issues over the next five years, immediate common analysis needs along with steps that participants can take to collectively address those needs, and efficient mechanisms to promote ongoing energy analysis coordination and information sharing. Sixty-two analysts from 27 different organizations participated in the inaugural workshop. For more background on the goals and results, access the Outcomes Document (PDF 208 KB) Download Adobe Reader on the initiative Web site.
ACEEE Workshop Examines Energy and Economic Policy Models/h3>
November 2006
On November 16 and 17, 2006, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) and the University of California hosted a two-day workshop, "Energy and Economic Policy Models: A Reexamination of Some Fundamentals." The workshop focused on the state of energy modeling for policy analysis, including shortcomings and possible solutions.
The workshop, in part, was an outgrowth of the Energy Collaborative Analysis Initiative workshop held in June. Participants asked whether economics was necessarily the right language to explore things like long-term climate change policy, especially because those policy implications spanned multiple generations and regions of people. Others suggested the need for better and more extensive data collection to ensure a more robust characterization of renewable energy resources as well as greater energy efficiency improvements for both supply- and demand-side resources. Finally, several presenters suggested ways to improve technology characterization within energy and climate policy models – especially techniques that highlight the dynamic tradeoff between more productive capital and standard patterns of energy consumption.
The workshop resulted in a number of papers and presentations that can be accessed from the ACEEE Web site. The Web site also includes the full agenda, a list of participants, and discussant comments on the various presentations. The workshop was a kickoff event in a series of efforts by the ACEEE to highlight opportunities to improve policy modeling as decision makers wrestle with a set of long-term energy and climate-related issues. Among the anticipated future activities are training workshops on modeling energy policy and a series of working papers to explore new directions in energy policy modeling.
For more information on this effort, contact ACEEE Senior Economist John A. "Skip" Laitner at jslaitner@aceee.org, or call him at 202-478-6365.
Topic Group Discusses R&D and Deployment Models
November 2006
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and the Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA) recently convened a call to discuss how to improve deployment partnerships between industry and government. As part of a follow-up action from the June workshop, participants summarized their R&D and deployment approaches and discussed next steps.
One of the results of the call was a decision to survey states on their R&D deployment programs and use that information to create fact sheets on those programs, which could be distributed to DOE and members of the group. NYSERDA created a template for states to use so that the information collected is consistent among the state respondents.
For more on this activity, access the deployment partnerships topic page on the collaboration Web site.
Analysis Results
Clean Energy States Alliance
April 2008
The Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA) released a new publication in April 2008 describing the key policies and program strategies that have emerged as effective tools for states to advance widespread solar deployment.
The report, "Clean Energy State Program Guide," (PDF 3.4 MB) recommends that states:
- Provide Sustained Financial Support for Projects—Recognize that PV markets cannot function successfully in the near future without predictable, long-term government incentives and policy support
- Establish "PV-Friendly" Laws and Regulations—Pursue a comprehensive public policy agenda that includes expanded net metering, simplified interconnection standards, and renewable portfolio standard "set-asides" for solar technologies
- Ensure Sensible Program Design—Develop solar incentive programs to avoid onerous program requirements that can drive up installer costs in the name of consumer protection
- Stimulate Long-Term Financing—Facilitate creation of long-term, favorable solar financing programs
- Promote "PV-Friendly" Building Codes—Promote standard building codes and permitting requirements that specifically and fairly address the characteristics and requirements of PV systems
- Walk the Talk—Encourage a formal state government commitment to installing PV on public buildings
- Support Training—Advance work force development by supporting installer training and certification programs to meet the demand for trained technicians
- Promote Education and Marketing—Educate consumers and private lending institutions about the benefits of PV technologies and pursue cooperative strategies to grow PV markets.
Energy Information Administration
April 2008
The Energy Information Administration (EIA) has posted the full "early release" of the Annual Energy Outlook 2008. The Annual Energy Outlook 2008 (Early Release) was updated to include the impact of H.R.6, "Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007," which was enacted in late December 2007.
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
April 2008
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) released a new report in April, "Renewables Portfolio Standards in the United States: A Status Report with Data through 2007" (PDF 1.5 MB). This report provides a comprehensive overview of early experience with renewables portfolio standards (RPS) in the United States.
State-level RPS programs are among the most important drivers for renewable energy deployment in the United States. As their popularity and importance have grown, so too has the need to keep up with the design, early experience, and projected impacts of these RPS programs. This report seeks to fulfill this need by providing basic, factual information on RPS policies.
Drawing from a variety of sources, this report – the first in what is envisioned to be an ongoing series – provides comprehensive information on a broad range of RPS-related topics, including:
- What states have RPS policies, and when were they developed?
- What percent of sales by U.S. retail electricity suppliers is subject to RPS obligations?
- What are the key design features of, and differences among, state RPS programs?
- To what extent have RPS policies driven renewable energy investments?
- What kinds of renewable resources are benefiting from these policies?
- How much new renewable energy will ultimately be required to fully meet these mandates?
- How have RPS policies been designed to specifically support solar power?
- Have suppliers fully complied with RPS purchase requirements so far?
- How are renewable energy certificate markets developing?
- To what degree have RPS policies impacted retail electricity rates?
The report concentrates on key recent developments, while also providing information on historical RPS experience and design.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
March 2008
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) recently released the report "Analysis of the Transition to Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles and the Potential Hydrogen Energy Infrastructure Requirements" (PDF 1.4 MB). The report summarizes the results of several studies of the transition to hydrogen fuel cell vehicles that the Department of Energy has supported and coordinated during the past several years. It compares the infrastructure development costs associated with the scenarios and presents the results of a geographic deployment analysis. In addition, the report describes the simulated market response to advanced hydrogen technologies and estimates the costs of different policies to support the introduction of FCVs and fueling infrastructure over the 2012-2025 timeframe.
Highlights of the report include the finding that the fuel cell vehicle (FCV) market share could grow to 50% by 2030 and 90% by 2050 with targeted deployment policies in place during 2012 to 2025. Furthermore, the level of risk and investment that industry would have to bear without policies in place to support development of a fueling infrastructure would be too high for market forces to overcome. The cost of FCVs would be high and hybrid electric vehicles would dominate the market.
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
February-March 2008
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) recently published analysis reports on financing for wind and solar projects, building energy performance, and power system planning.
Wind and Solar Financing
The "Innovations in Wind and Solar PV Financing" (PDF 732 KB) surveys some of the current issues related to wind and solar photovoltaic (PV) energy project financing in the electric power industry, and identifies both barriers to and opportunities for increased investment, including new business models. Several specific financing innovations for wind and solar PV projects were identified and are discussed in this report.
Building Energy Performance
The "Methodology for Modeling Building Energy Performance across the Commercial Sector" (PDF 3.1 MB) report uses EnergyPlus simulations of each building in the 2003 Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS) to document and demonstrate bottom-up methods of modeling the entire U.S. commercial buildings sector (EIA 2006). This report documents how the whole-building models were generated from the building characteristics in 2003 CBECS and compares the simulation results to the survey data for energy use.
Power System Planning
The "Power System Planning: Emerging Practices Suitable for Evaluating the Impact of High-Penetration Photovoltaics" (PDF 564 KB), composed by GE Global Research, explores the impact of high-penetration renewable generation on electric power system planning methodologies and outlines how these methodologies are evolving to enable effective integration of variable-output renewable generation sources.
California Energy Commission
December 2007-March 2008
The California Energy Commission (CEC) recently released analysis reports on demand response as a system reliability resource, hydropower predictions, and California's renewable energy performance goal for 2020.
Demand Response Spinning Reserve
The "Demand Response as a System Reliability Resource – 1st and 2nd Year Test Report" (PDF 2.9 MB) demonstrates how using existing utility load-management assets can provide an important electricity system reliability resource known as spinning reserve. Providing spinning reserve with aggregated demand-side resources such as those illustrated in this report will give grid operators at California Independent System Operator (ISO) and Southern California Edison (SCE) a powerful new tool to improve system reliability, prevent rolling blackouts, and lower system operating costs.
The work completed to-date demonstrates how the use of demand response as spinning reserve has produced important programmatic and technical insights, including:
- Target-marketing a utility's air-conditioning load-cycling program to customers served by a single distribution feeder can be a successful strategy
- Repeated curtailment of these customers' air-conditioning in a manner similar to the deployment of spinning reserve can be accomplished without a single customer complaint
- Real-time visibility of load curtailments can be achieved through an open data platform and secure website
- Analysis methods developed for this project could one day be used to predict magnitude of load curtailments as a function of weather and time of day
- Load curtailments can be fully implemented much faster than ramping up of spinning reserve from thermal generation.
Evaluation of Alternative Models and Methods for Prediction of Hydropower Resources in California and the Pacific Northwest
As reported in the "Evaluation of Alternative Models and Methods for Prediction of Hydropower Resources in California and the Pacific Northwest" (PDF 3.7 MB) study, researchers applied three types of hydropower simulation models to the Sacramento San Joaquin Basin in California and the Columbia River Basin in the Pacific Northwest. Three models were evaluated: 1) multiple linear regression models; 2) medium complexity reservoir simulation models (CVMod in California and ColSim in the Pacific Northwest); and 3) operational reservoir simulation models (CALSIM II in California and GENESYS in the Pacific Northwest).
Achieving California's 33 Percent Renewable Portfolio Standard Goal
As stated in the "Achieving California's 33 Percent Renewable Portfolio Standard Goal" (PDF 864 KB) report, California has several key things it need to do to achieve its goal of 33 percent renewable electricity by 2020. The state needs to evaluate policies that will best acquire renewable resources, examine the overall impacts of the resources acquired on overall system costs, and examine cost/risk interrelationships associated with this mandate.
Although California's electric utility resource planning guidelines incorporate risk assessment and scenario analyses, the guidelines do not capture important cost/risk inter-relationships that dramatically affect estimated overall costs and risks associated with alternate portfolios of generating resources. To remedy this limitation, the report presents a new feed-in tariff approach that is modeled on successful forward capacity market auctions that are used by several regional transmission organizations. The analysis suggests that an optimal generating portfolio for California includes greater shares of renewable resource technologies, which may cost more on a stand-alone basis but reduce overall portfolio costs and risks because of their diversification effects.
Energy Information Administration
December 2007
The Energy Information Administration (EIA) has released several new reports to Congress on proposed energy and climate legislation, and has also posted the "early release" of the Annual Energy Outlook 2008.
The energy and climate reports, including: "Energy Market and Economic Impacts of S. 1766, the Low Carbon Economy Act of 2007" and "Energy and Economic Impacts of Implementing a 25-Percent Renewable Portfolio Standard and Renewable Fuel Standard by 2025" are available on the EIA Web site.
The Annual Energy Outlook 2008 (Early Release) presents a midterm projection and analysis of U.S. energy supply, demand, and prices through 2030. The projections are based on results from the Energy Information Administration's National Energy Modeling System, and the AEO2008 Early Release includes the reference case. The full publication, to be released in early 2008, will include complete documentation and additional cases examining energy markets.
EERE's Planning, Analysis, and Evaluation Group
November 2007
The Planning, Analysis, and Evaluation (PAE) group at the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) published a presentation and report outlining the findings from the "Modeling EERE Deployment Programs." Findings from the project are available in the Program Benefits Analysis section of the Planning, Budget, and Analysis (PBA) Web site.
PAE worked with the Technology Development (TD) programs to identify and characterize the modeling of deployment programs within their programs, address possible improvements to the modeling process, and note gaps in knowledge in which future research is needed.
These documents include the key results from analyses that were completed for each of the identified tasks. The current deployment activities taking place in EERE are summarized, and a characterization of the EERE deployment structure is provided. Current deployment-modeling efforts are also characterized with respect to each program, and the steps taken to incorporate a given program into an integrated framework are described. The gaps in knowledge regarding deployment modeling are discussed, and possible modeling strategies that may address some of these gaps are presented. Conclusions and recommendations for further, more-detailed modeling work also are included.
Electric Power Research Institute
November 2007
The Electric Power Research Institute has released analysis related to its summer 2007 seminar, Electricity Solutions for a Carbon-Constrained Future, including "Modeling the Technology Mix" and "Pathways to the Full Portfolio." Both were reported in the EPRI Fall 2007 Journal.
"Modeling the Technology Mix"
In anticipation of future CO2 emissions policies, EPRI has analyzed the technical potential for the U.S. electricity sector to reduce emissions over the next 25 years and has assessed the economic benefits of advanced technologies to achieve required reductions. The result: If the U.S. electricity sector deploys a full portfolio of technologies rather than a more limited one, the overall cost of emissions reductions to the U.S. economy could be lowered by as much as 1 trillion dollars. EPRI recently completed two related studies. The first, the so-called PRISM analysis, assessed the U.S. electricity sector's technical potential for reducing CO2 emissions, assuming deployment of the Full Portfolio of advanced technologies. A separate analysis, MERGE, calculated the economic value of deploying these technologies and projected the least-cost combination of technologies needed to meet assumed CO2 emissions reduction targets representative of potential policies.
"Pathways to the Full Portfolio"
EPRI has started by laying out four strategic technology pathways to accelerate progress in distribution, transmission, nuclear, and coal technologies. The first two pathways constitute the creation of a smart grid that will enable contributions to CO2 reductions from renewables, energy efficiency, distributed energy resources, and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. The latter two pathways are designed to ensure the viability of coal and the accelerated expansion of nuclear power—the two workhorses of electricity supply, which account for more than 70% of current U.S. electricity generation. Each technology pathway involves an ambitious sequence of RD&D steps that achieve critical targets in the 2015—2030 period.
More information is available on the EPRI Web site.
Environmental Protection Agency
October 2007
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released a new tool, the Energy Star Home Advisor, which provides consumers with customized recommendations for improving energy efficiency and comfort at home. This tool helps use energy more efficiently, which also helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions. For example, EPA estimates that homeowners (which spend an average or $1,900 per year on energy bills) can save up to 10% on their annual energy bill simply by sealing air leaks and adding insulation. If every American home improved energy efficiency by 10%, the result would be 800 pounds of carbon removed from the air each year.
Using the Energy Star Home Advisor, homeowners can enter their ZIP code and some basic information about the types of fuel used to heat and cool their home, and get recommended home improvement projects to increase energy efficiency and comfort. Homeowners can also see the average energy savings for these improvements and associated greenhouse gas reductions.
Department of Energy/Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
October 2007
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) redesigned its Web sites for the Alternative Fuels & Advanced Vehicles Data Center (AFDC) and the Clean Cities Program, which allow fleet managers and communities to make informed choices among strategies for reducing petroleum use. The resources are located on the AFDC and Clean Cities Web sites. The Web sites provide a one-stop resource for information about alternative fuels and vehicles, hybrid vehicles, idle reduction, and other strategies. They include online tools to find fueling stations for ethanol, biodiesel, natural gas, propane, and other alternative fuels anywhere in the United States, (Alternative Fueling Station Locator), identify incentives and laws for alternative fuels and vehicles in any state (State & Federal Incentives & Laws), or find and compare alternative fuels and hybrid vehicles.
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
October 2007
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory released analysis reports prior to the National Renewable Energy Marketing Conference (October 2007) and WindPower 2007 Conference.
Utility Green Pricing Programs
In October 2007, NREL published the report "Trends in Utility Green Pricing Programs (2006)" (PDF 786 KB) Download Adobe Reader. In the early 1990s, only a handful of utilities offered their customers a choice of purchasing electricity generated from renewable energy sources. Today, more than 750 utilities—or about 25% of all utilities nationally—provide their customers a "green power" option. This report presents year-end 2006 data on utility green pricing programs, and examines trends in consumer response and program implementation over time. The data in this report, which were obtained via a questionnaire distributed to utility green pricing program managers, can be used by utilities to benchmark the success of their green power programs.
Interaction of Renewable Energy Markets
Also in October 2007, NREL analysts published the report "Interaction of Compliance and Voluntary Renewable Energy Markets" (PDF 1.1 MB) Download Adobe Reader. This paper examines key market interaction issues between compliance and voluntary renewable energy markets that have emerged to help support the development of renewable energy resources. It addresses each market's history, purpose, size, scope, and benefits. Several issues that arise with respect to the interplay of the markets are also discussed, such as double counting, supply and demand impacts, and whether consumers will maintain interest in making voluntary purchases if renewable portfolio standard (RPS) policies are in place.
The Potential for Offshore Wind
NREL analysts published "Modeling the National Potential for Offshore Wind" (PDF 3.2 MB) Download Adobe Reader for the WindPower 2007 Conference in Los Angeles. There is a national interest in the potential of offshore wind power due to the growing concern about climate change and the corresponding need for renewable energy. Offshore wind power is attractive due to the large and high-quality resource off the U.S. coasts as well as that offshore wind farms can be sited relatively close to load centers — more than half the population of the United States lives within 50 miles of an ocean or Great Lake — lowering transmission losses and expense. Additionally, wind farms off the coast of Europe have successfully demonstrated the technology. Offshore wind farms, however, have high up-front costs and are not seen as economical in the near term. There is interest, therefore, in examining under what economic, social, and technological conditions offshore wind becomes viable. This paper contributes to this examination, using the Wind Deployment System (WinDS) model.
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
July 2007
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) published a report evaluating the impact of retail rate design on the customer-economics of grid-connected photovoltaics (PV), focusing on commercial customers in California. The Impact of Retail Rate Structures on the Economics of Commercial Photovoltaic Systems in California" (PDF 568 KB) Download Adobe Reader examines the impact of retail rate design on the economic value of commercial PV systems in California. Using 15-minute interval building load and PV production data from 24 actual commercial PV installations, the analysis compares the value of the bill savings across 20 commercial-customer retail rates currently offered in the state. The analysis shows that the specifics of the rate structure, combined with the characteristics of the customer's underlying load and the size of the PV system, can have a substantial impact on the customer-economics of commercial PV systems.
Argonne National Laboratory
June 2007
Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) has updated its VISION model to the Annual Energy Outlook (AEO) 2007. The model has been used to respond to requests for a number of analyses, including to estimate the oil savings and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions of: a) various legislative proposals to increase the fuel economy of light vehicles (e.g., Feinstein bill); b) a 2% increase per year in average vehicle miles per gallon (MPG) ratings; c) an increase in diesel light-vehicle stock to 20%; d) an increase in flexible-fuel vehicle stock to 100%; and e) 100% market penetration of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). The University of California at Davis (UC Davis) has developed a California-specific version of VISION and used the latter to develop GHG emission reduction estimates for California's draft Low Carbon Fuel Standard. The California version of VISION has also been made publicly available on the UC Davis Web site.
ORNL Releases Transportation Energy Data Book
June 2007
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), with the support of the Office of Planning, Budget, and Analysis (PBA) at EERE, published the 26th edition of the Transportation Energy Data Book (TEDB).
Designed for use as a desk-top reference, the TEDB represents an assembly and display of statistics and information that characterize transportation activity, and presents data on other factors that influence transportation energy use. The purpose of this document is to present relevant statistical data in the form of tables and graphs. The new edition and past publications are on the ORNL Web site.
This edition of the data book has 12 chapters focusing on various aspects of the transportation industry including petroleum, energy, highway vehicles, alternative fuel vehicles, fleet vehicles, household vehicles, transportation and the economy, greenhouse gas emissions, and criteria pollutant emissions. The sources used represent the latest available data. There are also three appendices which include detailed source information for some tables, measures of conversion, and the definition of Census divisions and regions. A glossary of terms and a title index are also included for the reader's convenience.
EERE Publishes Wind Power Report
May 2007
The U.S. Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's (EERE) Wind and Hydropower Technologies Program released its first "Annual Report on U.S. Wind Power Installation, Cost, and Performance Trends: 2006." This report — authored primarily by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory — provides a comprehensive overview of trends in the U.S. wind power market, with a particular focus on 2006.
The need for such a report has become apparent in the past few years, as the wind power industry has entered an era of substantial growth, both globally and in the United States. Drawing from a variety of sources, this report — the first in what is envisioned to be an ongoing annual series — provides information on a variety of topics, including:
- Wind project installation trends
- Wind industry trends
- Evolution of wind power sales prices
- Installed wind project costs
- Wind turbine prices
- Wind project performance
- O&M cost trends
- Integration, transmission, and policy developments
Of particular note, data on U.S. project-level wind power pricing, installed project costs, O&M expenses, and wind project performance have not previously been summarized in as comprehensive a fashion as provided in this report.
The report (PDF 2.4 MB) is available on the EERE Web site.
PBA Publishes Report on Evaluation Methods for R&D Programs
April 2007
Planning, Budget, and Analysis (PBA) published "Overview of Evaluation Methods for R&D Programs" (PDF 2.9 MB), which provides an overview of 14 evaluation methods that have proven useful to R&D program managers in federal agencies.
Many of the methods enable programs to quantify and document knowledge benefits and technology commercialization impacts. Each method is briefly defined, its uses are explained, its limitations are listed, examples are provided, and references are given. Examples of successful applications of the methods are taken from evaluation reports by organizations such as DOE's EERE, DOE's Office of Science, the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the National Research Council.
LBNL Publishes Report on RECs
April 2007
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) published "The Treatment of Renewable Energy Certificates, Emissions Allowances, and Green Power Programs in State Renewables Portfolio Standards."
Twenty-one states have adopted renewables portfolio standards (RPS), and it has often been said that when it comes to implementing these policies, the devil is in the details. This report summarizes the treatment of renewable energy certificates (RECs) and attributes in state RPS policies, covering three specific issues:
- the degree to which unbundled RECs are allowed under existing state RPS programs and the status of systems to track RECs and renewable energy attributes;
- definitions of the renewable energy attributes that must be included in order to meet state RPS obligations, including the treatment of available emissions allowances; and
- state policies on whether renewable energy or RECs sold through voluntary green power transactions may count towards RPS obligations.
Although the use of RECs is now widespread in state RPS policies, the definitions and treatment of their attributes vary by state. Sometimes this is intentional, but often states are unintentionally ambiguous in their definitions and rules. This report identifies where ambiguity exists and suggests that policy-makers and regulators clarify their intent by adopting more explicit language in order to reduce uncertainty in REC markets.
For more information, access the report (PDF 292 KB).
LBNL Releases Analysis on Residential Energy Use
March 2007
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) has published "Quantifying the Effect of the Principal-Agent Problem on U.S. Residential Energy Use." (PDF 192 KB) Sponsored by the Office of Planning, Budget, and Analysis (PBA), this report was done in conjunction with the International Energy Agency (IEA).
The IEA organized a multicountry collaborative project on market failures to investigate the effects of market failures in the end use of energy that may isolate some markets or portions of markets from energy price signals. Five countries participated in the study: the United States, Norway, Japan, Australia, and the Netherlands. Research teams in each country completed case studies that focused on particular market failures and end-use markets. LBNL conducted the U.S portion of the study.
The U.S. study quantifies the extent that one type of market failure, the principal agent (PA) problem, affects energy use in the U.S. residential market. The purpose of the U.S. study was to quantify both the number of households affected by the principal-agent problem and the associated site and primary energy use for refrigerators, water heaters, space heating, and lighting.
GPRA Benefits Analysis Report Published
March 2007
The Office of Planning, Budget, and Analysis (PBA) has released its FY 2008 benefits analysis report, "Projected Benefits of Federal Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Programs — FY 2008 Budget Request." This analysis report summarizes the results of the benefits analysis of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) programs, as described in the FY 2008 budget request and developed under the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) of 1993. EERE estimates benefits for its overall portfolio and for each of its nine Research, Development, Demonstration, and Deployment (RD3) programs. Benefits for the FY 2008 budget request are estimated for the midterm (2008-2030) and long term (2030-2050).
The Office of EERE sponsors activities aimed at transforming the future of U.S. energy through improved efficiency of energy use and the development of new renewable energy resources. EERE invests in high-risk, high-value research and development (R&D) that—conducted in partnership with the private sector and other government agencies—accelerates the development and facilitates the deployment of advanced energy technologies and practices.
EERE annually assesses the contribution of its work to DOE's goals of providing affordable, clean, and reliable energy. Two energy market models are used in this assessment—one that looks in detail at the midterm (through 2030) and one that looks more generally at trends in the long term (through 2050).
EPAct Report on Resource Assessment Released
March 2007
The Office of Planning, Budget, and Analysis (PBA) recently released its "Report to Congress on Renewable Energy Resource Assessment Information for the United States." (PDF 11.6 MB)
This report was a requirement of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPACT), which directs the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to prepare a report to Congress presenting a detailed inventory of U.S. renewable resource assessment information. The report includes data on solar, wind, biomass, ocean (including tidal, wave, current, and thermal), geothermal, and hydropower energy resource technologies. Resource assessment products include reports, maps, in-situ measurement data, remotely sensed data, and modeled data that characterize the physical potential for renewable energy generation.
This report also reviews the status of available resource assessment products, along with related data and tools that integrate resource information with other factors influencing renewable energy development and considers how well these products meet user needs.
As required by EPACT, this report also provides a brief summary of information on other factors that influence renewable energy development. These factors include land use, availability of energy infrastructure, and proximity to energy infrastructure and load centers. Access to transmission lines is considered one of the largest barriers to renewable energy project development.
The report can be accessed from the PAE Knowledge Management Database.
ANL Releases Hydrogen Transitions Study
February 2007
A new report titled "Examining Hydrogen Transitions," (PDF 707 KB) by Steve Plotkin of Argonne National Laboratory, was released by EERE's Office of Planning, Budget, and Analysis (PBA).
The publication is accessible through the PAE Knowledge Management Database.
The study, sponsored by PBA, describes the results of an effort to identify key analytic issues associated with modeling a transition to hydrogen as a fuel for light-duty vehicles, and using insights gained from this effort to suggest ways to improve ongoing modeling efforts. The study examined multiple hydrogen scenarios reported in the literature, identified modeling issues associated with those scenario analyses, and examined three DOE-sponsored hydrogen transition models in the context of those modeling issues.
NREL Publishes Report on Regions in Energy Market Models
February 2007
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has published "Regions in Energy Market Models." (PDF 1.3 MB) This PBA-sponsored report explores the different options for spatial resolution of an energy market model and the advantages and disadvantages of models with fine spatial resolution. It examines different options for capturing spatial variations, considers the tradeoffs between them, and presents a few examples from one particular model that has been run at different levels of spatial resolution.
NREL Publishes Green Power Reports
December 2006
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) recently published "Trends in Utility Green Pricing Programs (2005)" (PDF 812 KB) Download Adobe Reader. This annual update presents year-end 2005 data on utility green pricing programs, and examines trends in consumer response and program implementation over time. The data in this report, which were obtained via a questionnaire distributed to utility green pricing program managers, can be used by utilities to benchmark the success of their green power programs. The report also examines trends in consumer response and program implementation over time, including product pricing, program design, and marketing strategies.
NREL also recently published "Green Power Marketing in the United States: A Status Report (Ninth Edition)" (PDF 1.5 MB) Download Adobe Reader, which presents aggregate green power sales data for all voluntary purchase markets across the United States. Two sections provide summary data on (1) utility green pricing programs offered in regulated electricity markets and (2) green power marketing activity in competitive electricity markets and green power sold to voluntary purchasers in the form of RECs. These are followed by a discussion of key market trends and issues. The final section offers conclusions and observations.
Biomass Energy Data Book Debuts Online
October 2006
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) recently published the inaugural "Biomass Energy Data Book" for the Office of Planning, Budget, and Analysis (PBA). Designed for use as a convenient reference on biomass technologies, the data book represents an assembly and display of statistics and information that characterize the biomass industry, from the production of biomass feedstocks to their end use.
This first edition of the Biomass Energy Data Book, which includes five main sections, is currently only available online in electronic format. The first section is an introduction, which provides an overview of biomass resources and consumption. A section on biofuels follows, which covers ethanol, biodiesel, and BioOil. The biopower section, which is third, focuses on the use of biomass for electrical power generation and heating. The fourth section is on the developing area of biorefineries, and the fifth section covers feedstocks that are produced and used in the biomass industry. The sources used represent the latest available data. There are also three appendices, which include measures of conversions, biomass characteristics, and assumptions for selected tables and figures. A glossary of terms and a list of acronyms are also included.
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