Energy Analysis Newsletter — August 2009
Energy analysis at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) encompasses a broad range of energy analysis 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 energy analysis community. Here is the latest news on energy analysis activities at NREL:
Upcoming Events
August Seminar: Geothermal Incentives and Hindrances
On August 13, NREL's Strategic Energy Analysis Center (SEAC) and DOE/EERE's Office of Planning, Budget, and Analysis (PBA) will present a seminar (in Golden, Colorado) discussing policy and geothermal energy. The rate of development for geothermal power depends heavily on government actions. The United States and many other countries are actively seeking ways to encourage more geothermal development in their respective countries, and countries worldwide are effectively competing with one another to attract capital to fund their respective geothermal projects. This talk by Martin Piszczalski, of Sextant Research, will highlight some of the key parameters and identify risks and mitigations by stage of development. It also will suggest how governments can most effectively participate and encourage geothermal development in their respective countries.
For more information on the seminar series — including log-in and call-in information for remote access — visit the Web site.
Upcoming Energy Analysis Seminars
- September 10, 2009
"State Policy and the Pursuit of Renewable Energy Manufacturing: Opportunities and Best Practices" — Eric Lantz (NREL)
- October 8, 2009
"Demand-Side Response" — Robert Earle (Analysis Group)
- November 12, 2009
"A Stock Analyst's View of Renewable Energy Technologies" — Steven Milunovich (Merrill Lynch)
TAP Web Seminar: Revolving Loan Funds
The Technical Assistance Project (TAP) for state and local officials will sponsor a Web seminar on August 26 that discusses revolving loan funds. The presentation, which will be 3-4:15 p.m. (EDT), is titled "Revolving Loan Funds: Basics and Best Practices." During this presentation, speakers Samuel Booth of NREL and Theresa Sifuentes of the Texas LoanSTAR program, will discuss how to set up a revolving loan fund to increase the impact of funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Many states are using this funding to set up revolving loan funds for energy programs because, once established, these funds are not subject to the three-year expiration of funding under the Recovery Act.
You can register to attend the seminar, read about the presenter, and find links to background materials and reports on the TAP Section of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Weatherization and Intergovernmental Program Web site.
Upcoming TAP Seminars
- October 28, 2009
"Feed-in Tariffs: Best Practices and Application in the United States" — Karlynn Cory (NREL)
Publications and Web Sites
Some of the documents in this section are available as Adobe Acrobat PDFs.
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Technology and Program Market Data
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory is leading an effort to provide market data for renewable energy technologies and programs, presented in individual reports for each topic area. Data includes market penetration; industry trends; cost, price, and performance trends; policy and market drivers; as well as future outlook.
Initiated by the Strategic Planning and Analysis (SPA) group of the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), these 10 technology and program market reports represent each of the renewable energy areas managed by EERE.
Three of the reports have been published, and we'll keep you posted regarding completion of the other technology and program reports. Available reports include:
Renewable Energy Project Financing
NREL analysts Paul Schwabe, Karlynn Cory, and James Newcomb recently published the report "Renewable Energy Project Financing: Impacts of the Financial Crisis and Federal Legislation" (PDF 920 KB)
Extraordinary financial market conditions have disrupted the flows of equity and debt investment into U.S. renewable energy projects since the fourth quarter of 2008. The pace and structure of renewable energy project finance has been reshaped by a combination of forces, including the financial crisis, global economic recession, and major changes in federal legislation affecting renewable energy finance. This report explores the impacts of these key market events on renewable energy project financing and development.
Renewable Electricity Benefits in California
SEAC analysts Gail Mosey and Laura Vimmerstedt recently published "Renewable Electricity Benefits Quantification Methodology: A Request for Technical Assistance from the California Public Utilities Commission" (PDF 887 KB)
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) requested assistance from NREL to identify methodological alternatives for quantifying the benefits of renewable electricity. This study was part of its analysis of a 33% renewable portfolio standard (RPS) in California—one element of California's Climate Change Scoping Plan. NREL developed a high-level survey of renewable electricity effects, quantification alternatives, and considerations for selection of analytic methods. This report addresses economic effects and health and environmental effects, and provides an overview of related analytic tools.
Analysts Meet With Stakeholders
On July 6-10, SEAC analyst David Kline met with officials in China to work on economic analysis and planning for large wind prospect areas ("wind bases") in the country. NREL is partnering with the key wind analysis group at HydroChina, which directly supports government plans and implementation of China's ambitious wind effort. Chinese officials recently estimated 120 GW as the potential from the wind bases. Kline also held informational meetings on national-scale energy modeling, which is being explored as a way to increase focus on U.S.-China climate cooperation.
NREL analyst Karlynn Cory, lead of SEAC's Finance Team, was a panelist at a July 30 congressional briefing on feed-in tariff (FIT) policies, which was sponsored by U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee of Washington State. Cory discussed best practices for FIT policy design and implementation to achieve a variety of policy objectives, and answered questions about current U.S. FIT policy implementation.
For the latest updates on information regarding energy analysis, visit the Energy Analysis Web site.
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