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The Energy Analysis at NREL newsletter highlights the lab's analysts and analysis activities in renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies are having an impact on U.S. energy goals. The newsletter features recent publications and websites, updates to our models and tools, and staff activities. You can subscribe to receive the newsletter monthly by email.

May 2013 Newsletter

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) aims to provide credible, objective data and insights that inform policy and investment decisions as energy efficient and renewable energy technologies advance from concept to commercial application. NREL analysis encompasses a broad range of scientific research and reporting activity in support of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), NREL programs and initiatives, and the analysis community.

This month:

21st Century Power Partnership Enabling Power System Transformation

The 21st Century Power Partnership, a multilateral, public-private collaboration led by the Clean Energy Ministerial, aims to enhance the large-scale deployment of energy efficiency and renewable energy through smart policies and programs that leverage smart grid solutions and clean energy technologies.

The logo for the 21st Century Power Partnership with a sub title saying, accelerating the transformation of power systems.

The Power Partnership focuses on four key activities:

  • Supporting country-level policy and regulatory implementation
  • Developing and sharing knowledge
  • Strengthening and disseminating tools
  • Bolstering expert capacity.

As the operating agent for the Power Partnership, NREL implements Power Partnership activities based on guidance from the Clean Energy Ministerial, the United Nations, and other partners and stakeholders.


Report Finds Access to More Public Capital Could Reduce Cost of Solar and Wind Power

A new NREL report—Financing U.S. Renewable Energy Projects Through Public Capital Vehicles: Qualitative and Quantitative Benefits by Michael Mendelsohn and David Feldman—finds that increased access to public capital has the potential to reduce the cost of solar and wind energy, as measured by the levelized cost of energy (LCOE), and could significantly increase the availability of project funds. For example, the authors find that securitization, a vehicle commonly used in the home mortgage industry, could improve access to low-cost capital by engaging more investors, lowering investment risks, and introducing more diversification and liquidity.


A chart that compares the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) by using a traditional financing, debt structures or equity structures for residential and utility-scale photovoltaics when projected out to 2017. It demonstrates that debt structures are the best dollar-to-kilowatt hour with a range of approx. 12 cents to 16 cents for residential and 6 cents to 8 cents for utility-scale.

Comparison of LCOE for residential- and utility-scale solar projects under three financing structures in 2017.


NREL Analysis and Analysts in the News

Design World posted an article on EERE's Transportation Energy Futures Study (TEF).

EPA's RE-Powering America's Land Initiative was recognized as one of the Top 25 Innovations in American Government, according to Harvard University's Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation. Over 70 renewable energy projects have been installed on contaminated sites or landfills since the RE-Powering America's Land Initiative began, representing over 215 MW of installed capacity.

Trieu Mai presented the Renewable Electricity Futures Study at the American Physical Society.

Nanowerk published an article titled "Researchers Quantify the Significant Value That Concentrating Solar Power Plants can Add to an Electric Grid" about recent NREL report Analysis of Concentrating Solar Power with Thermal Energy Storage in a California 33% Renewable Scenario.

RenewableEnergyWorld.com reposted NREL blog "Risk and Finance in the PV Industry" by Travis Lowder.


Recent Publications

Journal Article: Co-Benefits Of Large Scale Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle And Solar PV Deployment
Journal: Journal of Power Sources
Authors: Paul Denholm, Michael Kuss, and Robert M. Margolis, NREL

This study identifies possible co-benefits of large-scale photovoltaics (PV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) deployment by simulating the Texas grid and identifying changes in peak capacity requirements and PV curtailment.

Journal Article: Estimating the Capacity Value of Concentrating Solar Power Plants with Thermal Energy Storage: A Case Study of the Southwestern United States
Journal: IEEE Transactions on Power Systems
Authors: Seyed Hossein Madaeni and Ramteen Sioshansi, The Ohio State University; Paul Denholm, NREL

This paper estimates the capacity value of concentrating solar power (CSP) plants with thermal energy storage (TES) in the southwestern United States, as well as demonstrates the effect of location and configuration on the operation and capacity value of CSP plants and shows that using a capacity payment mechanism can increase the capacity value of CSP.

Journal Article: Evaluating the Impacts of Real-Time Pricing on the Cost and Value of Wind Generation
Journal: IEEE Transactions on Power Systems
Author: Ramteen Sioshansi, The Ohio State University (formerly NREL)

A day-ahead unit commitment model with day-ahead wind forecasts and a real-time dispatch model with actual wind resource availability are used to estimate system operations in a high wind penetration scenario.

NREL Report: Sensitivity of Utility-Scale Solar Deployment Projections in the SunShot Vision Study to Market and Performance Assumptions
Authors: Kelly Eurek, Paul Denholm, Robert Margolis, and Matthew Mowers, NREL

The ReEDS model was used to simulate utility PV and CSP deployment for this study, based on several market and performance assumptions—electricity demand, natural gas prices, coal retirements, cost and performance of non-solar renewable technologies, PV resource variability, distributed PV deployment, and solar market supply growth—in addition to the SunShot solar price projections.

NREL Reports: RE-Powering America's Land
EPA developed the RE-Powering America's Land Initiative to encourage renewable energy development on current and formerly contaminated land and mine sites when such development is aligned with the community's vision for the site. With funding from EPA, NREL completed renewable energy feasibility studies for the selected sites this year. Gail Mosey is project lead for this series of studies.

Presentation: An Analysis of Concentrating Solar Power with Thermal Energy Storage in a California 33% Renewable Scenario (Report Summary)
Authors: Paul Denholm, Yih-Huei Wan, Marissa Hummon, and Mark Mehos, NREL

This presentation summarizes a recent NREL report, which evaluates concentrating solar power (CSP) with thermal energy storage and other renewable options as alternatives to fossil fuel generation in California. The report assumes a scenario in which California derives 33% of its electricity from renewable sources.

Presentation: Development of Metric for Measuring the Impact of RD&D Funding on GTO's Geothermal Exploration Goals
Authors: Scott Jenne and Kate Young, NREL; Hidda Thorsteinsson, formerly DOE GTO

Prepared for the Stanford Geothermal Workshop 2013, this presentation summarizes how NREL developed a metric to measure the impacts of RD&D funding on the cost and time required for geothermal exploration activities. The resulting online tool for measuring impact and the aggregated cost and time data are available on Open EI.

For the latest updates on information regarding energy analysis, visit the Energy Analysis website.