This document discusses renewable energy certificates (RECs) and their role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions through voluntary renewable energy purchases. It explains that RECs allow electricity customers to purchase renewable energy regardless of their local provider. REC purchases create demand that supports renewable energy development. According to most GHG accounting standards, REC purchases can be claimed as reductions in an organization's indirect emissions from purchased electricity and reductions in their carbon footprint.
1) The document discusses how bitcoin mining could help accelerate the global transition to renewable energy sources by serving as a flexible load that complements renewable energy production and storage.
2) It presents a model from ARK Invest showing how integrating bitcoin mining into solar energy systems with battery storage could allow renewables to provide a higher percentage of grid power, potentially up to 99%, while maintaining the same electricity costs.
3) Next steps discussed include the potential emergence of energy management software and marketplaces to better coordinate renewable energy production with bitcoin mining and storage, as well as expanded manufacturing of application-specific integrated circuits optimized for interruptible power usage in mining.
Maximum generation, llc monetizing environmental revenue streams - webinarMark Graffagnini
The document discusses environmental markets and renewable energy credits (RECs). It provides an overview of RECs, including what they represent, where they originate from, and how they are approved. REC prices in voluntary and compliance markets are shown from 2006-2008. Projections of renewable energy supply and demand in different regions from 2004-2015 are presented. The risks of REC transactions, such as whether they qualify for renewable portfolio standards, are also discussed. In addition, the American Clean Energy and Security Act which establishes a renewable energy credit submission program is briefly outlined.
The global financial crisis has significantly impacted the global economy and energy markets in the short term. However, long term energy challenges related to energy security, sustainability, and alleviating energy poverty remain top priorities. Climate change impacts are also occurring faster than predicted due to continued growth in greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels. Achieving long term climate change and energy security goals will require transitioning to more sustainable energy systems through international cooperation and flexible, intelligent infrastructure.
Regenerco Power is a UK market leader in renewable energy and energy efficiency solutions. It was established in 2009 to address renewable energy needs in the UK commercial sector. Over the past seven years, through investments of over £30 million, Regenerco Power has delivered solar PV and expanded into biomass, anaerobic digestion, and other renewable technologies. The company works with funders and installation partners to finance, install, and operate renewable energy projects.
Bluebird Solar provides solar energy solutions and products. It is a subsidiary of Bluebird Power Controls which has over 30 years of experience in power solutions. Bluebird Solar aims to encourage solar energy usage and provide sustainable power generation solutions through advanced technology and expert teams. It offers a range of on-grid, off-grid and hybrid solar solutions for residential, commercial and industrial applications including rooftop solar systems, home lighting systems, solar inverters and more. The company focuses on high quality manufacturing, research and development as well as operations and maintenance to deliver optimal solar energy performance.
Governor Murphy, through Executive Order 28, has set New Jersey on the path toward transitioning to 100% clean energy by 2050.
In June, the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) issued a draft of an updated Energy Master Plan (EMP) that encompasses a dramatically broader scope than previous EMPs, and features a series of seven strategies that will guide the state to address the imminent threat of climate change and to reach Governor Murphy’s 100 percent clean energy goal.
This timely webinar features experts who will provide an overview of the EMP draft, and how it has the potential to result in significant economic benefits, including the creation of new jobs, industries and workforce development opportunities for the state’s residents and business community.
The NJ BPU is accepting comments on the EMP draft until September 16th. Please join us so that you can add your voice with others in the sustainable business community to help make the EMP a strong and effective roadmap to creating a clean energy economy.
This document summarizes the linkages between energy access and micro-enterprises. It finds that providing modern energy, such as electricity, can enable the poor to improve their livelihoods and incomes through micro-enterprises. However, more data is still needed to quantify these benefits. While rural electrification was initially seen as financially unviable, later studies found economic rates of return as high as 95%. Access to electricity can increase productivity of home-based micro-enterprises and extend their operating hours. Lessons from Bangladesh found that most rural enterprises use electricity for lighting and that reliability of supply is a key issue.
This document discusses Airtricity, an Irish renewable energy company founded in 1997 and sold in 2008 for over €2 billion. It provides electricity to 375,000 Irish customers and has projects across Europe and China, focusing on wind, hydro, and solar energy. The document proposes several innovative concepts for Airtricity, including allowing customers to invest deposits in renewable projects, donating a portion of bills to developing countries, offering electric car rentals, and empowering local renewable energy generation through partnerships. A focus group found the financial investment, philanthropic, and automotive concepts most promising.
1) The document discusses how bitcoin mining could help accelerate the global transition to renewable energy sources by serving as a flexible load that complements renewable energy production and storage.
2) It presents a model from ARK Invest showing how integrating bitcoin mining into solar energy systems with battery storage could allow renewables to provide a higher percentage of grid power, potentially up to 99%, while maintaining the same electricity costs.
3) Next steps discussed include the potential emergence of energy management software and marketplaces to better coordinate renewable energy production with bitcoin mining and storage, as well as expanded manufacturing of application-specific integrated circuits optimized for interruptible power usage in mining.
Maximum generation, llc monetizing environmental revenue streams - webinarMark Graffagnini
The document discusses environmental markets and renewable energy credits (RECs). It provides an overview of RECs, including what they represent, where they originate from, and how they are approved. REC prices in voluntary and compliance markets are shown from 2006-2008. Projections of renewable energy supply and demand in different regions from 2004-2015 are presented. The risks of REC transactions, such as whether they qualify for renewable portfolio standards, are also discussed. In addition, the American Clean Energy and Security Act which establishes a renewable energy credit submission program is briefly outlined.
The global financial crisis has significantly impacted the global economy and energy markets in the short term. However, long term energy challenges related to energy security, sustainability, and alleviating energy poverty remain top priorities. Climate change impacts are also occurring faster than predicted due to continued growth in greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels. Achieving long term climate change and energy security goals will require transitioning to more sustainable energy systems through international cooperation and flexible, intelligent infrastructure.
Regenerco Power is a UK market leader in renewable energy and energy efficiency solutions. It was established in 2009 to address renewable energy needs in the UK commercial sector. Over the past seven years, through investments of over £30 million, Regenerco Power has delivered solar PV and expanded into biomass, anaerobic digestion, and other renewable technologies. The company works with funders and installation partners to finance, install, and operate renewable energy projects.
Bluebird Solar provides solar energy solutions and products. It is a subsidiary of Bluebird Power Controls which has over 30 years of experience in power solutions. Bluebird Solar aims to encourage solar energy usage and provide sustainable power generation solutions through advanced technology and expert teams. It offers a range of on-grid, off-grid and hybrid solar solutions for residential, commercial and industrial applications including rooftop solar systems, home lighting systems, solar inverters and more. The company focuses on high quality manufacturing, research and development as well as operations and maintenance to deliver optimal solar energy performance.
Governor Murphy, through Executive Order 28, has set New Jersey on the path toward transitioning to 100% clean energy by 2050.
In June, the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) issued a draft of an updated Energy Master Plan (EMP) that encompasses a dramatically broader scope than previous EMPs, and features a series of seven strategies that will guide the state to address the imminent threat of climate change and to reach Governor Murphy’s 100 percent clean energy goal.
This timely webinar features experts who will provide an overview of the EMP draft, and how it has the potential to result in significant economic benefits, including the creation of new jobs, industries and workforce development opportunities for the state’s residents and business community.
The NJ BPU is accepting comments on the EMP draft until September 16th. Please join us so that you can add your voice with others in the sustainable business community to help make the EMP a strong and effective roadmap to creating a clean energy economy.
This document summarizes the linkages between energy access and micro-enterprises. It finds that providing modern energy, such as electricity, can enable the poor to improve their livelihoods and incomes through micro-enterprises. However, more data is still needed to quantify these benefits. While rural electrification was initially seen as financially unviable, later studies found economic rates of return as high as 95%. Access to electricity can increase productivity of home-based micro-enterprises and extend their operating hours. Lessons from Bangladesh found that most rural enterprises use electricity for lighting and that reliability of supply is a key issue.
This document discusses Airtricity, an Irish renewable energy company founded in 1997 and sold in 2008 for over €2 billion. It provides electricity to 375,000 Irish customers and has projects across Europe and China, focusing on wind, hydro, and solar energy. The document proposes several innovative concepts for Airtricity, including allowing customers to invest deposits in renewable projects, donating a portion of bills to developing countries, offering electric car rentals, and empowering local renewable energy generation through partnerships. A focus group found the financial investment, philanthropic, and automotive concepts most promising.
A time line by 2030 for implementing energy and water, efficiency
and conservation, combined with onsite generation of energy for
all public buildings where as a state agency was responsible for
issuing a building permit.
SRP (Salt River Project) is a public utility providing electricity and water to parts of Arizona. The document discusses SRP's sustainability initiatives including their renewable energy portfolio, energy efficiency programs, and EarthWise customer programs. SRP gets 47% of its energy from coal, 32% from natural gas, and 15% from nuclear, with the goal of obtaining 15% from sustainable sources by 2025 including solar, wind, hydroelectric, biomass and more. SRP implements various rebate programs to promote customer energy efficiency and use of renewable energy.
Outsourced Innovation Case Study-Rose Acre Farmadambcarney
This document summarizes a research project testing the use of LED lighting to replace CFL lighting in a poultry house at Rose Acre Farms. Initial results found energy savings of 6,285 kWh annually from LED lights and projected lifetime savings of $17,430 in energy costs and $100,000 in maintenance costs. LED lights met light output claims but further evaluation is needed to understand long-term reliability and potential effects on bird behavior and production from the different light spectrum of LEDs compared to CFLs. The project aims to understand energy savings and performance of LED lights for agricultural use over one year.
2008 annual report for Timminco Limited. Timminco (TSX: TIM) is a leader in the production of low cost solar grade silicon for the rapidly growing solar photovoltaic energy industry.
Outsourced Innovation Case Study-Rose Acre Farmadambcarney
The document summarizes a study comparing LED and CFL lighting systems in an egg-laying poultry facility. Key findings from installing LED lights in one house include:
- LED lights produced equal or higher light output compared to the existing CFL lights.
- An estimated annual energy savings of 6,285 kWh from using LED lights in the one house. Expanding LED lights to all houses could save over $17,000 annually.
- Payback for full LED conversion was estimated at 4 years but incentives could reduce payback. LED lights were projected to save over $100,000 in maintenance costs over their longer lifespan.
The document discusses Massachusetts' efforts to create a greener energy future through various clean energy programs and initiatives. It outlines the state's goals of capturing all cost-effective energy efficiency and achieving unprecedented energy savings over the next three years through upgraded efficiency programs. Challenges include engaging more customers and achieving more extensive savings beyond basic measures. Revenue from RGGI auctions will help fund energy efficiency programs. A new multifamily housing program aims to make efficiency offerings more integrated and user-friendly for that sector.
1. The document discusses the role microfinance institutions (MFIs) can play in providing energy services to underserved populations. It notes that about 1.7 billion people lack access to electricity and 2.4 billion rely on biomass for cooking and heating.
2. MFIs are well positioned to provide energy loans due to their existing distribution networks, client base, and experience with lending. However, only a small fraction of MFI clients currently have access to energy loans.
3. The document outlines various clean energy technologies like solar lanterns, biomass systems, and efficient cookstoves that could meet energy needs of rural populations. It also discusses factors MFIs should consider and different business
This document discusses the potential for renewable energy and the need for transitioning to more sustainable energy systems. It notes that while the share of renewable energy is still small globally, costs for some renewables are getting competitive with existing energy sources. The technical potential for renewable energy is enormous. Realizing a clean energy future will require overcoming challenges through innovation, integration of renewables at larger scales, and increased adoption of technologies.
Outsourced Innovation Case Study-Bettendorf, Iowaadambcarney
The city of Bettendorf collaborated with MidAmerican Energy to install a demonstration of 32 Philips Lumec LED streetlights replacing 32 high-pressure sodium fixtures. This was done to evaluate the energy savings, light quality, and cost-effectiveness of LEDs. Preliminary results found a projected 49% annual energy savings from the LEDs. However, payback was estimated at over 20 years for a full retrofit due to the high upfront cost of the LEDs. Ongoing monitoring is needed to verify the LEDs meet lighting standards long-term.
This document discusses green electrical upgrades that can reduce costs for industrial customers. It provides an overview of energy-efficient electrical products and solutions that have been proven to lower energy consumption and operating costs for commercial buildings. These include upgrades to lighting systems, motors, variable frequency drives, transformers, and other industrial energy systems. Adopting energy-efficient upgrades can provide significant savings given that industry consumes around 32% of total U.S. energy usage.
Microgrids provide numerous benefits to both customers and society. They improve electric reliability and resilience by continuing to supply power when the central grid fails. Microgrids also enhance cost savings and revenue opportunities for customers. Additionally, microgrids promote clean energy adoption, strengthen the central grid, bolster cybersecurity, provide local economic benefits, and improve community well-being during disasters. In conclusion, microgrids offer a flexible solution that provides reliable power while creating value for customers and society in many ways.
The document discusses solar energy and solar power technologies. It describes how solar photovoltaic cells convert sunlight into electricity and the components used in solar panels. It also provides details on India's solar energy potential and current scenario. Solar DC nano-grids are presented as a promising low-cost approach to rural electrification, with self-contained microgrids powered by solar panels and batteries that can provide electricity to local communities in a flexible and modular way.
The concept of Translation and its complexityAngelaMarin33
It is a presentation where you can see the different translation techniques reflected in the work of each student of the collaborative group for the subject of translation techniques.
The document proposes a new business model for providing sustainable electricity to rural and remote areas currently without power. The model involves decentralizing solar thermal energy production using miniature molten salt storage systems that can power individual homes or small communities. It would reduce costs and environmental impacts compared to traditional grid expansion. Partnerships with companies like Bright Source and GE would help develop the technology and provide efficient appliances to minimize energy demand. Microfinance could help customers afford the systems, while carbon credits could incentivize their adoption. With over a billion potential customers, the model could be profitable while solving a major global problem.
Guarantees of Origin webinar Leonardo Energy 13 November 2017Dirk Van Evercooren
This is the presentation I used in a webinar for Leonardo Energy on 13 November 2017. It's about how Guarantees of Origin work and how they make green energy contracts reliable. Corporate electricity consumers now adopt sustainability strategies, choosing only electricity from renewable sources. Some go further and engage in Renewable Power Purchasing Agreements. In both cases, Guarantees of Origin are instrumental.
Renewable energy has several advantages including diversifying energy sources to enhance security and reduce costs, reducing pollution and emissions, and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. However, renewable energy also has some disadvantages such as having a lower energy intensity than fossil fuels so more space is needed, the technologies are often expensive initially, and the production may require reliable backup and storage options to manage intermittent supplies.
The value of Guarantees of Origin: empowering consumers in the energy transitionLeonardo ENERGY
The Guarantee of Origin (GO) is a crucial instrument for the widening business strategy for clean power. The Association of Issuing Bodies (AIB) has created and operates the European Energy Certificate System (EECS) to harmonise the functioning of the GO-systems. The AIB is a ‘not for profit’ membership organisation consisting of national GO issuing bodies. We have also established an electronic Hub for efficiently transferring GOs across the European market. The Hub enables full traceability and transparency and ensures in a cost-effective way, ensuring that there will never be double-selling or double-counting of renewable GOs within this system. There are now already 20 active AIB member countries – all of which are fully EECS compliant.
Smart Cities presentation at the Renewable Energy Conference at Eilat EilotHaim R. Branisteanu
My presentation of "Smart Cities" storage at Eilat- Eilot Renewable Energy Conference, of course there are many comments and explanations to add to each slide in this presentation, including recent LCOE report form Australia (see also Clarifications for Peer to Peer Networks in “Smart Cities” document.)
The document discusses opportunities for improving energy resilience in northern New Mexico through increased utilization of regional renewable resources. It profiles three electric utilities - Kit Carson Electric Cooperative, Springer Electric Cooperative, and Raton Public Service - which currently face challenges like reliance on imported power and high energy costs. Opportunities for the utilities include expanding their solar and biomass energy production, using local waste streams, and exploring hydroelectric and energy storage options to strengthen the regional energy portfolio and create sustainable local jobs.
RPS and RECs – Managing an Increasing Regulatory BurdenCTRM Center
Renewable energy certificates or ‘RECs’ have become the currency of the renewable power industry, allowing power providers to expand their product offerings and offer ‘green’ power irrespective of whether or not they can physically generate it. RECs also assure consumers who opt to buy renewable power, that that power has either come directly from a renewable generator, or if a renewable generator is not servicing their facility, that it is offset in the market by power from a renewable source, such as wind, solar or hydro, in another geographic area.
RPS and RECs – Managing an Increasing Regulatory BurdenCTRM Center
- Renewable energy certificates (RECs) allow power providers to offer renewable energy to customers even if they don't generate it themselves, by trading credits representing renewable generation. RECs have value due to state renewable portfolio standards (RPS) mandating certain amounts of renewable energy.
- North Carolina established an RPS in 2008 requiring utilities to source 12.5% of energy from renewables. GreenCo Solutions was formed by electric cooperatives to help them meet the RPS through programs, projects, and REC purchasing/management given their limited resources.
- Managing REC portfolios and ensuring each cooperative meets its RPS targets presents challenges for GreenCo Solutions due to having to track purchases at both the individual cooperative and aggregate
1. The document proposes a decentralized green hydrogen infrastructure as an emerging energy storage solution. It would allow the electric power market to evolve beyond its current limitations of lacking sustainable and durable energy storage capacity.
2. Green hydrogen produced from electrolysis using renewable energy could provide grid-scale energy storage. The stored hydrogen could be transported to sites for power generation using fuel cells or combustion, providing localized energy security.
3. By overcoming the "duck curve" issue where renewable energy generation does not match grid demand, green hydrogen could maximize the value of renewable investments and correct utilities' need to throttle renewable power purchase agreements.
A time line by 2030 for implementing energy and water, efficiency
and conservation, combined with onsite generation of energy for
all public buildings where as a state agency was responsible for
issuing a building permit.
SRP (Salt River Project) is a public utility providing electricity and water to parts of Arizona. The document discusses SRP's sustainability initiatives including their renewable energy portfolio, energy efficiency programs, and EarthWise customer programs. SRP gets 47% of its energy from coal, 32% from natural gas, and 15% from nuclear, with the goal of obtaining 15% from sustainable sources by 2025 including solar, wind, hydroelectric, biomass and more. SRP implements various rebate programs to promote customer energy efficiency and use of renewable energy.
Outsourced Innovation Case Study-Rose Acre Farmadambcarney
This document summarizes a research project testing the use of LED lighting to replace CFL lighting in a poultry house at Rose Acre Farms. Initial results found energy savings of 6,285 kWh annually from LED lights and projected lifetime savings of $17,430 in energy costs and $100,000 in maintenance costs. LED lights met light output claims but further evaluation is needed to understand long-term reliability and potential effects on bird behavior and production from the different light spectrum of LEDs compared to CFLs. The project aims to understand energy savings and performance of LED lights for agricultural use over one year.
2008 annual report for Timminco Limited. Timminco (TSX: TIM) is a leader in the production of low cost solar grade silicon for the rapidly growing solar photovoltaic energy industry.
Outsourced Innovation Case Study-Rose Acre Farmadambcarney
The document summarizes a study comparing LED and CFL lighting systems in an egg-laying poultry facility. Key findings from installing LED lights in one house include:
- LED lights produced equal or higher light output compared to the existing CFL lights.
- An estimated annual energy savings of 6,285 kWh from using LED lights in the one house. Expanding LED lights to all houses could save over $17,000 annually.
- Payback for full LED conversion was estimated at 4 years but incentives could reduce payback. LED lights were projected to save over $100,000 in maintenance costs over their longer lifespan.
The document discusses Massachusetts' efforts to create a greener energy future through various clean energy programs and initiatives. It outlines the state's goals of capturing all cost-effective energy efficiency and achieving unprecedented energy savings over the next three years through upgraded efficiency programs. Challenges include engaging more customers and achieving more extensive savings beyond basic measures. Revenue from RGGI auctions will help fund energy efficiency programs. A new multifamily housing program aims to make efficiency offerings more integrated and user-friendly for that sector.
1. The document discusses the role microfinance institutions (MFIs) can play in providing energy services to underserved populations. It notes that about 1.7 billion people lack access to electricity and 2.4 billion rely on biomass for cooking and heating.
2. MFIs are well positioned to provide energy loans due to their existing distribution networks, client base, and experience with lending. However, only a small fraction of MFI clients currently have access to energy loans.
3. The document outlines various clean energy technologies like solar lanterns, biomass systems, and efficient cookstoves that could meet energy needs of rural populations. It also discusses factors MFIs should consider and different business
This document discusses the potential for renewable energy and the need for transitioning to more sustainable energy systems. It notes that while the share of renewable energy is still small globally, costs for some renewables are getting competitive with existing energy sources. The technical potential for renewable energy is enormous. Realizing a clean energy future will require overcoming challenges through innovation, integration of renewables at larger scales, and increased adoption of technologies.
Outsourced Innovation Case Study-Bettendorf, Iowaadambcarney
The city of Bettendorf collaborated with MidAmerican Energy to install a demonstration of 32 Philips Lumec LED streetlights replacing 32 high-pressure sodium fixtures. This was done to evaluate the energy savings, light quality, and cost-effectiveness of LEDs. Preliminary results found a projected 49% annual energy savings from the LEDs. However, payback was estimated at over 20 years for a full retrofit due to the high upfront cost of the LEDs. Ongoing monitoring is needed to verify the LEDs meet lighting standards long-term.
This document discusses green electrical upgrades that can reduce costs for industrial customers. It provides an overview of energy-efficient electrical products and solutions that have been proven to lower energy consumption and operating costs for commercial buildings. These include upgrades to lighting systems, motors, variable frequency drives, transformers, and other industrial energy systems. Adopting energy-efficient upgrades can provide significant savings given that industry consumes around 32% of total U.S. energy usage.
Microgrids provide numerous benefits to both customers and society. They improve electric reliability and resilience by continuing to supply power when the central grid fails. Microgrids also enhance cost savings and revenue opportunities for customers. Additionally, microgrids promote clean energy adoption, strengthen the central grid, bolster cybersecurity, provide local economic benefits, and improve community well-being during disasters. In conclusion, microgrids offer a flexible solution that provides reliable power while creating value for customers and society in many ways.
The document discusses solar energy and solar power technologies. It describes how solar photovoltaic cells convert sunlight into electricity and the components used in solar panels. It also provides details on India's solar energy potential and current scenario. Solar DC nano-grids are presented as a promising low-cost approach to rural electrification, with self-contained microgrids powered by solar panels and batteries that can provide electricity to local communities in a flexible and modular way.
The concept of Translation and its complexityAngelaMarin33
It is a presentation where you can see the different translation techniques reflected in the work of each student of the collaborative group for the subject of translation techniques.
The document proposes a new business model for providing sustainable electricity to rural and remote areas currently without power. The model involves decentralizing solar thermal energy production using miniature molten salt storage systems that can power individual homes or small communities. It would reduce costs and environmental impacts compared to traditional grid expansion. Partnerships with companies like Bright Source and GE would help develop the technology and provide efficient appliances to minimize energy demand. Microfinance could help customers afford the systems, while carbon credits could incentivize their adoption. With over a billion potential customers, the model could be profitable while solving a major global problem.
Guarantees of Origin webinar Leonardo Energy 13 November 2017Dirk Van Evercooren
This is the presentation I used in a webinar for Leonardo Energy on 13 November 2017. It's about how Guarantees of Origin work and how they make green energy contracts reliable. Corporate electricity consumers now adopt sustainability strategies, choosing only electricity from renewable sources. Some go further and engage in Renewable Power Purchasing Agreements. In both cases, Guarantees of Origin are instrumental.
Renewable energy has several advantages including diversifying energy sources to enhance security and reduce costs, reducing pollution and emissions, and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. However, renewable energy also has some disadvantages such as having a lower energy intensity than fossil fuels so more space is needed, the technologies are often expensive initially, and the production may require reliable backup and storage options to manage intermittent supplies.
The value of Guarantees of Origin: empowering consumers in the energy transitionLeonardo ENERGY
The Guarantee of Origin (GO) is a crucial instrument for the widening business strategy for clean power. The Association of Issuing Bodies (AIB) has created and operates the European Energy Certificate System (EECS) to harmonise the functioning of the GO-systems. The AIB is a ‘not for profit’ membership organisation consisting of national GO issuing bodies. We have also established an electronic Hub for efficiently transferring GOs across the European market. The Hub enables full traceability and transparency and ensures in a cost-effective way, ensuring that there will never be double-selling or double-counting of renewable GOs within this system. There are now already 20 active AIB member countries – all of which are fully EECS compliant.
Smart Cities presentation at the Renewable Energy Conference at Eilat EilotHaim R. Branisteanu
My presentation of "Smart Cities" storage at Eilat- Eilot Renewable Energy Conference, of course there are many comments and explanations to add to each slide in this presentation, including recent LCOE report form Australia (see also Clarifications for Peer to Peer Networks in “Smart Cities” document.)
The document discusses opportunities for improving energy resilience in northern New Mexico through increased utilization of regional renewable resources. It profiles three electric utilities - Kit Carson Electric Cooperative, Springer Electric Cooperative, and Raton Public Service - which currently face challenges like reliance on imported power and high energy costs. Opportunities for the utilities include expanding their solar and biomass energy production, using local waste streams, and exploring hydroelectric and energy storage options to strengthen the regional energy portfolio and create sustainable local jobs.
RPS and RECs – Managing an Increasing Regulatory BurdenCTRM Center
Renewable energy certificates or ‘RECs’ have become the currency of the renewable power industry, allowing power providers to expand their product offerings and offer ‘green’ power irrespective of whether or not they can physically generate it. RECs also assure consumers who opt to buy renewable power, that that power has either come directly from a renewable generator, or if a renewable generator is not servicing their facility, that it is offset in the market by power from a renewable source, such as wind, solar or hydro, in another geographic area.
RPS and RECs – Managing an Increasing Regulatory BurdenCTRM Center
- Renewable energy certificates (RECs) allow power providers to offer renewable energy to customers even if they don't generate it themselves, by trading credits representing renewable generation. RECs have value due to state renewable portfolio standards (RPS) mandating certain amounts of renewable energy.
- North Carolina established an RPS in 2008 requiring utilities to source 12.5% of energy from renewables. GreenCo Solutions was formed by electric cooperatives to help them meet the RPS through programs, projects, and REC purchasing/management given their limited resources.
- Managing REC portfolios and ensuring each cooperative meets its RPS targets presents challenges for GreenCo Solutions due to having to track purchases at both the individual cooperative and aggregate
1. The document proposes a decentralized green hydrogen infrastructure as an emerging energy storage solution. It would allow the electric power market to evolve beyond its current limitations of lacking sustainable and durable energy storage capacity.
2. Green hydrogen produced from electrolysis using renewable energy could provide grid-scale energy storage. The stored hydrogen could be transported to sites for power generation using fuel cells or combustion, providing localized energy security.
3. By overcoming the "duck curve" issue where renewable energy generation does not match grid demand, green hydrogen could maximize the value of renewable investments and correct utilities' need to throttle renewable power purchase agreements.
The first quarter of 2009 has ushered in a new era for the alternate energy market in the US. This has resulted in a visible increase in interest on alternate energy technologies. Most would think the attention to alternate energy has come just in time, especially with the rise in fossil fuel prices, stringent environmental regulations, and significant changes in preferences among consumers.
The document discusses 10 key things to know about green power markets in the United States. It notes that over 2,000 MW of new renewable energy capacity is being supported through voluntary green power markets. It also mentions that green power premiums have been declining and some utility customers now pay less for green power than the standard power mix. The largest green power purchaser in the US is the Air Force, buying over 1 billion kWh annually.
Neah Power Systems is developing silicon-based fuel cell technology using a porous silicon substrate with a highly structured and predictable performance. The technology enables the use of liquid electrolyte instead of solid polymer membranes. This allows for faster electrode reactions. Neah Power is working on hydrogen-oxygen fuel cells coupled with renewable energy sources and electrolyzers for energy storage applications. The unique silicon platform could enable multifunctional energy storage devices scalable from milliwatts to kilowatts using high-volume manufacturing processes.
Neah Power Systems is developing silicon-based fuel cell technology using a porous silicon substrate and liquid electrolyte. This approach offers advantages over traditional fuel cells like higher scalability, predictable performance, and potential for high-volume manufacturing. Neah Power's fuel cells could be used in both stationary and portable energy storage applications from watts to kilowatts. The company is working on a hydrogen-oxygen fuel cell that could be coupled with renewable energy sources and electrolyzers for hybrid energy solutions.
This document discusses renewable energy tariffs as an option for large energy customers to access renewable power. Renewable energy tariffs allow key account customers to pay a premium on their electricity bill to support the development of new utility-owned or third-party renewable energy projects. The tariffs provide benefits for utilities, customers, and society. They expand access to renewable energy, promote economic development, minimize ratepayer impacts, and ensure the renewable power purchased is "additional", meaning it directly displaces non-renewable generation. The document examines the characteristics of existing renewable energy tariff programs, such as resource eligibility, customer choice, and policies to ensure additionality. Case studies of programs in North Carolina and Virginia are provided.
Letter from Electric Power Supply Association 1.10.03Obama White House
The letter from EPSA's president updates the Secretary of Energy on the progress competitive power suppliers have made in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It discusses how increased competition in wholesale power markets will lead to greater operating efficiencies and use of cleaner generation sources, helping meet national climate goals. The letter urges policies to expand markets and utilize existing efficient generation to its fullest extent.
This document summarizes Massachusetts renewable energy incentives and programs, including:
1) The Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (RPS) program requires electricity suppliers to source a portion of their supply from renewable energy. Suppliers demonstrate compliance by purchasing Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) generated by renewable projects.
2) The Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard operates similarly but supports combined heat and power projects through Alternative Energy Certificates.
3) Anaerobic digesters and other projects that convert organic waste to electricity are eligible to generate RECs under the RPS program. The MA Clean Energy Center provides funding to support renewable energy development.
This document provides an overview of energy storage technologies and their potential to transform the power sector. It discusses how energy storage can help integrate renewable energy sources by addressing intermittency issues. A variety of energy storage technologies are described along with their characteristics and applications across the different segments of the power sector value chain. The economics of energy storage technologies are evaluated based on costs and potential benefits. Cost reductions through innovation and the ability to provide multiple stacked services are seen as important factors in developing a favorable business case for energy storage adoption. Regulatory reforms are also highlighted as necessary to fully capture the value that energy storage can provide across the entire power system.
Energy Storage Tracking TechnologiesTransform Power SectorSeda Eskiler
This document provides an overview of energy storage technologies and their potential to transform the power sector. It discusses how energy storage can help integrate renewable energy sources by addressing issues of intermittency and variability. The document analyzes the economics of different energy storage technologies today, including their costs and the benefits they provide for applications in bulk energy, ancillary services, transmission and distribution, consumers, and renewable integration. It also examines technological innovations that could further improve performance and costs. Regulatory reforms are needed to fully realize the value and disruptive potential of energy storage across the entire energy sector.
Tapuwa Dangarembizi – Unlocking the Economic Benefits of Renewable Energy for...Tapuwa Dangarembizi
In a time when sustainability and environmental protection are more important than ever before, renewable energy has emerged as a potent and economically viable panacea for global industries. While the ecological advantages are quite evident, a profound shift is taking place as industries worldwide increasingly pivot towards renewable energy sources to bolster their fiscal health. In this article, we will delve into Tapuwa Dangarembizi Sustainable Solutions: The Economic Advantages of Renewable Energy for Industries.
Concentrated Solar Thermal Power can be coupled with Thermal Energy Storage using Molten Salts. This presentations offers a compelling argument why this technology will remain competitive despite future improvements in other storage technologies
The document analyzes the technical and economic viability of solar photovoltaics (PV) and energy storage systems to provide both economic and resiliency benefits at three critical infrastructure sites in New York City. The analysis models four scenarios: 1) Resilient PV sized for economic savings without considering resiliency needs, 2) Resilient PV sized to meet resiliency needs, 3) A hybrid system of resilient PV and generator sized to meet resiliency needs, and 4) A generator only system sized to meet resiliency needs. The results show that resilient PV can be economically viable and provide resiliency benefits for NYC critical infrastructure, with the exact savings depending on site-specific factors. Hybrid systems generally
Renewable energy certificates (RECs) represent 1,000 kilowatt-hours of renewable energy generated. RECs can be sold separately from the underlying energy. RECs are purchased by energy suppliers and firms to comply with Renewable Portfolio Standards, which require a portion of energy come from renewable sources. RECs are traded in compliance and voluntary markets, with prices in compliance markets influenced by RPS policies. RECs help develop renewable energy by providing revenue guarantees for generators, connecting demand and supply, and increasing investments in renewable facilities. However, RECs depend heavily on RPS and price volatility poses challenges.
Striking the Balance Industry Advantages of Renewable Energy without Resource...Tapuwa Dangarembizi
In an era increasingly fixated on ecological sustainability, sectors find themselves confronted with the pressing need to harmonize their energy requisites with principled resource management. An emerging solution that is rapidly gaining ground involves the adoption of sustainable energy sources that do not exhaust Earth’s finite reserves. In this blog, we are going to discuss Tapuwa Dangarembizi – How can industries benefit from using sustainable energy sources that are renewable and do not deplete natural resources?
IRJET- Optimization of Hybrid Energy Mix for Rural Electrification in NigeriaIRJET Journal
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Main news related to the CCS TSI 2023 (2023/1695)Jakub Marek
An English 🇬🇧 translation of a presentation to the speech I gave about the main changes brought by CCS TSI 2023 at the biggest Czech conference on Communications and signalling systems on Railways, which was held in Clarion Hotel Olomouc from 7th to 9th November 2023 (konferenceszt.cz). Attended by around 500 participants and 200 on-line followers.
The original Czech 🇨🇿 version of the presentation can be found here: https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/hlavni-novinky-souvisejici-s-ccs-tsi-2023-2023-1695/269688092 .
The videorecording (in Czech) from the presentation is available here: https://youtu.be/WzjJWm4IyPk?si=SImb06tuXGb30BEH .
Essentials of Automations: Exploring Attributes & Automation ParametersSafe Software
Building automations in FME Flow can save time, money, and help businesses scale by eliminating data silos and providing data to stakeholders in real-time. One essential component to orchestrating complex automations is the use of attributes & automation parameters (both formerly known as “keys”). In fact, it’s unlikely you’ll ever build an Automation without using these components, but what exactly are they?
Attributes & automation parameters enable the automation author to pass data values from one automation component to the next. During this webinar, our FME Flow Specialists will cover leveraging the three types of these output attributes & parameters in FME Flow: Event, Custom, and Automation. As a bonus, they’ll also be making use of the Split-Merge Block functionality.
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Fueling AI with Great Data with Airbyte WebinarZilliz
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Bram Verhoef, Head of Machine Learning at Axelera AI, presents the “How Axelera AI Uses Digital Compute-in-memory to Deliver Fast and Energy-efficient Computer Vision” tutorial at the May 2024 Embedded Vision Summit.
As artificial intelligence inference transitions from cloud environments to edge locations, computer vision applications achieve heightened responsiveness, reliability and privacy. This migration, however, introduces the challenge of operating within the stringent confines of resource constraints typical at the edge, including small form factors, low energy budgets and diminished memory and computational capacities. Axelera AI addresses these challenges through an innovative approach of performing digital computations within memory itself. This technique facilitates the realization of high-performance, energy-efficient and cost-effective computer vision capabilities at the thin and thick edge, extending the frontier of what is achievable with current technologies.
In this presentation, Verhoef unveils his company’s pioneering chip technology and demonstrates its capacity to deliver exceptional frames-per-second performance across a range of standard computer vision networks typical of applications in security, surveillance and the industrial sector. This shows that advanced computer vision can be accessible and efficient, even at the very edge of our technological ecosystem.
Freshworks Rethinks NoSQL for Rapid Scaling & Cost-EfficiencyScyllaDB
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zkStudyClub - LatticeFold: A Lattice-based Folding Scheme and its Application...Alex Pruden
Folding is a recent technique for building efficient recursive SNARKs. Several elegant folding protocols have been proposed, such as Nova, Supernova, Hypernova, Protostar, and others. However, all of them rely on an additively homomorphic commitment scheme based on discrete log, and are therefore not post-quantum secure. In this work we present LatticeFold, the first lattice-based folding protocol based on the Module SIS problem. This folding protocol naturally leads to an efficient recursive lattice-based SNARK and an efficient PCD scheme. LatticeFold supports folding low-degree relations, such as R1CS, as well as high-degree relations, such as CCS. The key challenge is to construct a secure folding protocol that works with the Ajtai commitment scheme. The difficulty, is ensuring that extracted witnesses are low norm through many rounds of folding. We present a novel technique using the sumcheck protocol to ensure that extracted witnesses are always low norm no matter how many rounds of folding are used. Our evaluation of the final proof system suggests that it is as performant as Hypernova, while providing post-quantum security.
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Northern Engraving | Nameplate Manufacturing Process - 2024Northern Engraving
Manufacturing custom quality metal nameplates and badges involves several standard operations. Processes include sheet prep, lithography, screening, coating, punch press and inspection. All decoration is completed in the flat sheet with adhesive and tooling operations following. The possibilities for creating unique durable nameplates are endless. How will you create your brand identity? We can help!
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AppSec PNW: Android and iOS Application Security with MobSFAjin Abraham
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5th LF Energy Power Grid Model Meet-up SlidesDanBrown980551
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Power Grid Model
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Power Grid Model is currently being applied in a wide variety of use cases, including grid planning, expansion, reliability, and congestion studies. It can also help in analyzing the impact of renewable energy integration, assessing the effects of disturbances or faults, and developing strategies for grid control and optimization.
What to expect
For the upcoming meetup we are organizing, we have an exciting lineup of activities planned:
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Conversational agents, or chatbots, are increasingly used to access all sorts of services using natural language. While open-domain chatbots - like ChatGPT - can converse on any topic, task-oriented chatbots - the focus of this paper - are designed for specific tasks, like booking a flight, obtaining customer support, or setting an appointment. Like any other software, task-oriented chatbots need to be properly tested, usually by defining and executing test scenarios (i.e., sequences of user-chatbot interactions). However, there is currently a lack of methods to quantify the completeness and strength of such test scenarios, which can lead to low-quality tests, and hence to buggy chatbots.
To fill this gap, we propose adapting mutation testing (MuT) for task-oriented chatbots. To this end, we introduce a set of mutation operators that emulate faults in chatbot designs, an architecture that enables MuT on chatbots built using heterogeneous technologies, and a practical realisation as an Eclipse plugin. Moreover, we evaluate the applicability, effectiveness and efficiency of our approach on open-source chatbots, with promising results.
Driving Business Innovation: Latest Generative AI Advancements & Success StorySafe Software
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During the hour, we’ll take you through:
Guest Speaker Segment with Hannah Barrington: Dive into the world of dynamic real estate marketing with Hannah, the Marketing Manager at Workspace Group. Hear firsthand how their team generates engaging descriptions for thousands of office units by integrating diverse data sources—from PDF floorplans to web pages—using FME transformers, like OpenAIVisionConnector and AnthropicVisionConnector. This use case will show you how GenAI can streamline content creation for marketing across the board.
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Custom AI Models: Discover how to leverage FME to build personalized AI models using your data. Whether it’s populating a model with local data for added security or integrating public AI tools, find out how FME facilitates a versatile and secure approach to AI.
We’ll wrap up with a live Q&A session where you can engage with our experts on your specific use cases, and learn more about optimizing your data workflows with AI.
This webinar is ideal for professionals seeking to harness the power of AI within their data management systems while ensuring high levels of customization and security. Whether you're a novice or an expert, gain actionable insights and strategies to elevate your data processes. Join us to see how FME and AI can revolutionize how you work with data!
Dandelion Hashtable: beyond billion requests per second on a commodity serverAntonios Katsarakis
This slide deck presents DLHT, a concurrent in-memory hashtable. Despite efforts to optimize hashtables, that go as far as sacrificing core functionality, state-of-the-art designs still incur multiple memory accesses per request and block request processing in three cases. First, most hashtables block while waiting for data to be retrieved from memory. Second, open-addressing designs, which represent the current state-of-the-art, either cannot free index slots on deletes or must block all requests to do so. Third, index resizes block every request until all objects are copied to the new index. Defying folklore wisdom, DLHT forgoes open-addressing and adopts a fully-featured and memory-aware closed-addressing design based on bounded cache-line-chaining. This design offers lock-free index operations and deletes that free slots instantly, (2) completes most requests with a single memory access, (3) utilizes software prefetching to hide memory latencies, and (4) employs a novel non-blocking and parallel resizing. In a commodity server and a memory-resident workload, DLHT surpasses 1.6B requests per second and provides 3.5x (12x) the throughput of the state-of-the-art closed-addressing (open-addressing) resizable hashtable on Gets (Deletes).
Dandelion Hashtable: beyond billion requests per second on a commodity server
The Environmental Value of Purchasing Renewable Energy Certificates Voluntarily
1. EPA’s Green Power Partnership
The Environmental Value of Purchasing Renewable Energy Certificates Voluntarily
Discussion Draft
D The Role of RECs in the Renewable Energy
ramatically increasing the use of renewable energy in the
nation’s electricity generation portfolio is essential to re- Marketplace
ducing U.S. greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. For most RECs were introduced in the late 1990s to verify consumer
organizations, the use of electricity might be the largest single electricity labels and renewable portfolio standards (RPS)
source of GHG emissions for which they have responsibility. compliance, and to provide flexibility for RPS compliance.
Therefore, the purchase of zero-emission, renewable electricity is Today, they stimulate renewable energy development by giving
an excellent way to help make the transition to more renewable generators and consumers access to broader markets than just
energy and a reduced carbon footprint. Thousands of organiza- their interconnected utilities.
tions are leading this effort by installing their own renewable
energy systems or purchasing renewable electricity. Among these RECs are market-based instruments that convey the environ-
organizations, many have found that purchasing renewable en- mental value of renewable energy between buyers and sellers.
ergy certificates (RECs) is one of the simplest and most effective Each REC provides exclusive proof that 1 megawatt-hour
ways to reduce their carbon footprint. (MWh) of renewable energy has been generated.2 RECs are
widely used to verify compliance with state renewable portfolio
RECs are critical, effective, and valuable instruments for standards and to establish environmental claims in the volun-
expanding renewable energy across the United States. With tary market. As such, they are the common currency in both
RECs, electricity customers anywhere in the United States can compliance and voluntary markets.
buy renewable electricity regardless of whether it is offered by
their local electricity provider. RECs’ flexibility is a key factor REC trading enables a national voluntary market for renewable
in the emergence of a commercial and institutional customer- energy that facilitates both supply-side efficiency—develop-
driven national voluntary market for renewable energy. Volun- ers can site renewable energy facilities where the resource is
tary market sales grew four-fold in four years—from 6 billion most cost-effective—and customer choices—organizations can
kilowatt-hours (kWh) in 2004 to 24 billion kWh in 2008— design a green power purchase that meets their specific criteria
largely because of organizational demand for RECs. Of the mix of geographic location, technology type, supplier, facility
total voluntary market sales in 2008, two-thirds were RECs vintage, and price. Many of EPA’s Green Power Partners make
(the remainder were utility green power products).1 sophisticated purchasing decisions with RECs, accessing desir-
able projects and satisfying cost and technology objectives.
The purpose of this paper is to educate U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency’s Green Power Partners and prospective EPA regards REC purchasing as the simplest way for organiza-
Partners about the environmental value of purchasing RECs tions and institutions to affect the United States’ electricity
voluntarily. To clarify the basis for this environmental value, generation mix at a national scale. These voluntary purchases
this paper addresses: the role of RECs in the renewable energy create demand that is over and above the demand created by
marketplace, their role in reducing emissions, and the manner the compliance requirements of state RPSs and allow organiza-
in which a corporate GHG inventory accounts for the environ- tions of all sizes to leverage their collective purchasing power
mental value of a voluntary REC purchase. to positively influence utility-scale generation.3 As a result of
this flexibility, voluntary demand for new renewable energy
is currently roughly equivalent in size to the demand for new
generation created by the compliance requirements of existing
state RPSs.4
1 Bird, Lori, Claire Kreycik, and Barry Friedman, Green Power Marketing in the United States: A Status Report (2008 Data), National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
United States, 2009, p. 4, http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy09osti/ 46581.pdf.
2 A certificate tracking system issues a uniquely numbered certificate for each MWh of electricity generated by a generation facility registered in the system, tracks the
ownership of certificates as they are traded, and retires the certificates once they are used or claims are made based on their attributes or characteristics. For more
information, see the EPA Green Power Partnership’s REC Tracking Web page (August 2010): http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/gpmarket/tracking.htm.
3 RECs sold into the voluntary market cannot also be used in the compliance market. If the voluntary market buys all of the RECs intended for a state’s RPS, new sup-
ply will have to be created to meet the mandates. This gives the voluntary market an inherent degree of additionality.
4 Bird, et al., 2009, pp. 6–7.
1 October 2010
2. EPA’s Green Power Partnership: The Environmental Value of Purchasing Renewable Energy Certificates Voluntarily
Discussion Draft
It is worth noting that RECs and utility green power are fun- saleable products—electrons and RECs. This added revenue
damentally equivalent environmental products. Utility green helps developers recover costs, pay off debt, and reduce project
power is a type of product offered by many electric service risk. Increased demand for RECs will help developers to pay
providers that combines electricity with RECs. It is function- for new projects, which influences the mix of resources used to
ally the same as buying RECs separately. A customer purchas- generate electricity. Purchasing RECs through long-term con-
ing green power from a utility-owned wind farm is unlikely tracts is even more desirable for project developers because such
to receive the electrons that were generated at the wind farm contracts further reduce risk and uncertainty.
because electrons flow to the nearest point of use. The customer
Generally speaking, new renewable electricity facilities deliver
in this example is receiving RECs, albeit from a specific and, in
electricity that affects the order in which existing facilities
some circumstances, proximate facility.
generate electricity for the grid and the future plans for fossil-
When RECs are sold separately from electricity, then the fueled generators. As a result of bringing new renewable elec-
underlying electricity is no longer considered “renewable” or tricity facilities online, the electricity sector emits fewer tons of
“green.”5 Users of that electricity cannot claim to be buying carbon dioxide emissions than it would have if these renewable
or using green power in the absence of owning the REC. This energy sources had not been operating or built.
prevents double-counting of environmental benefits.6
EPA periodically updates regional grid emission factors to
While RECs convey the environmental value of renewable ener- account for these changes in the generation resource mix. At
gy between buyers and sellers, REC prices are not based solely on present and in spite of significant voluntary market growth,
cost. The prices vary over time based on supply and demand— renewable energy growth attributable to voluntary purchases
including mandated RPS demand—and other dynamic factors still represents a small percentage of the total supply portfolio.
such as wholesale power prices, capital costs, and the availability EPA anticipates future updates when emission factors will have
of credit and government incentives. As a result, a REC’s price is to be adjusted to account for such growth.7
not a true or accurate reflection of its environmental value.
RECs and Corporate GHG Accounting
The Role of RECs in Reducing GHG Emissions An organization buying RECs can claim to be buying zero-
RECs have historically been thought of as an important ad- emission, renewable electricity, which reduces or avoids its
ditional incentive, often necessary to turn an uneconomical indirect emissions from purchased electricity.8 Another way to
project into a viable one. Recently, questions have arisen as to express the benefit is as a reduction in the organization’s carbon
whether RECs are truly an integral component of project eco- footprint.9 EPA guidance and existing voluntary corporate
nomics. For project developers, RECs represent an additional GHG accounting rules support these claims.10
revenue source: a wind farm, for instance, will produce two
5 Electricity without its environmental attributes is commonly called null power, which conveys no contractual rights or claims. See: Environmental Tracking Network
of North America, The Intersection between Carbon, RECs, and Tracking: Accounting and Tracking the Carbon Attributes of Renewable Energy, February 2010, http://
etnna.org/images/PDFs/Intersection%20btwn%20Carbon%20RECs%20and%20Tracking.pdf.
6 For more information about RECs and other green power product options, see: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Energy, World Resources
Institute, and Center for Resource Solutions, Guide to Purchasing Green Power, http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/documents/purchasing_guide_for_web.pdf.
7 According to Bird, et al. (2009, p. 3), retail sales of renewable energy in voluntary purchase markets exceeded 24 billion kWh in 2008, or about 0.6 percent of total
U.S. electricity sales. This includes sales of renewable energy derived from both “new” and “existing” renewable energy sources, consistent with the generally accepted
market definition with most sales supplied from new sources.
8 Indirect emissions come from sources that an organization does not own but that are associated with its activities. This is distinguished from reducing direct emissions
that result in reducing global or total atmospheric emissions. See Table 1.
9 Some GHG voluntary reporting programs use the terminology of “using zero-emission electricity” rather than “reducing or avoiding indirect emissions.” Either way,
both result in adjustments to the purchasing organization’s scope 2 emissions.
10 These claims are supported by the World Resources Institute and World Business Council for Sustainable Development (Greenhouse Gas Protocol: A Corporate Ac-
counting and Reporting Standard [Revised Edition], p. 61, http://www.ghgprotocol.org/standards/corporate-standard), as well as EPA’s voluntary GHG reporting and
goal-setting guidance and the U.S. Council on Environmental Quality (Federal Greenhouse Gas Accounting and Reporting Guidance, http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/
default/files/microsites/ceq/ GHG%20Guidance%20Document_0.pdf). The Climate Registry (http://www.theclimateregistry.org/downloads/ 2010/08/Draft-Cli-
mate-Registered-Leadership-Program-Reporting-Requirements.pdf) has a draft policy for its Climate Registered Leadership program that is also consistent with these
claims, but it has not been finalized at this time.
2 October 2010
3. EPA’s Green Power Partnership: The Environmental Value of Purchasing Renewable Energy Certificates Voluntarily
Discussion Draft
Most leading organizations and businesses that are tracking the actions to reduce them. According to accounting rules, the same
GHG emissions associated with their operations are doing so emissions may be claimed by more than one entity as long as the
through established voluntary GHG reporting programs. While emissions are claimed in different scopes. Double counting of
accounting methodologies might vary slightly, most programs emissions would occur only if more than one entity claimed the
follow the framework provided by the internationally accepted same emissions in the same scope.
World Resources Institute and World Business Council for
Voluntary RECs might be confused with voluntary carbon
Sustainable Development Greenhouse Gas Protocol Corporate
offsets.12 RECs are not offsets. The differences between the two
Standard. According to this standard, when reporting emis-
environmental instruments prevent them from being used inter-
sions to a GHG inventory, organizations classify emissions into
changeably,13 though both may be useful in achieving organiza-
three scopes, as shown in the first two columns of Table 1. The
tions’ net GHG reduction goals.
remainder of Table 1 is EPA’s interpretation of how these scopes
may be used. The purchase of RECs or green power is reflected as an adjust-
ment to scope 2 emissions. Scope 2 accounts for the GHG
This classification recognizes that emissions (and emission
emissions from the mix of regional generation resources used
reductions) are rarely the responsibility of just one entity’s opera-
to generate the MWh of purchased electricity. The adjustment
tions. The different scopes enable all of the entities involved to
methodology depends on the specific GHG voluntary reporting
report the emissions associated with their operations and to take
program. In EPA’s voluntary GHG reporting and goal-setting
Table 1. Scopes for Corporate GHG Accounting and EPA’s
Interpretation of Their Use
Applicability
Allowable
Scope Description
Reduction Claims
RECs Offset
Emissions from sources that the organization
Total GHG emission
owns or controls, such as industrial processes,
Scope 1 (Direct Emissions) No Yes reductions; direct
natural gas consumption in buildings, owned
emission reductions
vehicles, and owned energy generators11
Emissions associated with the generation of
Carbon footprint
Scope 2 (Indirect electricity, steam, or heat—from sources that the
Yes Yes reductions; indirect
Emissions) organization does not own—that is purchased
emission reductions
and consumed by the organization
Emissions from other sources the organization
Carbon footprint
Scope 3 (Other Indirect does not own or control; examples include waste
No Yes reductions; indirect
Emissions) disposal, leased/outsourced activities, business
emission reductions
travel, and employee commuting
11 On-site generators owned by the reporting entity should report direct emissions in scope 1. The owners of such on-site generators that displace purchased electricity
should also report the emission reductions as an adjustment to scope 2 emissions.
12 A GHG or “carbon” offset is a unit of carbon dioxide-equivalent (CO2e) that is reduced, avoided, or sequestered to compensate for emissions occurring elsewhere.
Goodward, Jenna, and Alexia Kelly, Bottom Line on Offsets, World Resources Institute, August 2010, http://www.wri.org/publication/bottom-line-offsets. Offsets
are generated by investing in projects that result in verifiable emission reductions or in removing GHGs from the atmosphere. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
Climate Leaders Greenhouse Gas Inventory Protocol Design Principles, 2005, p. 45, http://www.epa.gov/climateleaders/documents/resources/design-principles.pdf.
13 Direct emission reductions resulting from voluntary REC purchases are typically realized at conventional power generation facilities owned by entities other than
the REC owner or generator. However, REC purchasers do not have clear title to direct emission reductions because green power or REC contracts typically do not
include conventional power generation facilities displaced by renewable energy generators as a third party to the agreement. As a result, the role of RECs in reducing an
organization’s GHGs is limited to indirect emissions (i.e., scope 2). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Climate Leaders Greenhouse Gas Inventory Protocol Optional
Modules Methodology for Green Power and Renewable Energy Certificates, 2008, p. 4, http://www.epa.gov/climateleaders/documents/greenpower_guidance.pdf.
3 October 2010
4. EPA’s Green Power Partnership: The Environmental Value of Purchasing Renewable Energy Certificates Voluntarily
Discussion Draft
guidance, an organization purchasing RECs calculates its net Conclusion
emissions by estimating the avoided emissions associated with Voluntary RECs offer critical environmental value because
its green power purchase14 using regional marginal emission they capture and enable the trade of the specific environmental
factors, which is advised by most GHG registries when facility- benefits associated with renewable energy generation. RECs
specific emission information is not available.15 create an accessible and more efficient national voluntary market
It is worth emphasizing that using RECs to adjust scope 2 emis- for renewable energy and provide an additional revenue stream
sion levels is consistent with, not an exception to, general scope for renewable energy project developers. Deploying renewable
2 accounting rules. Scope 2 was specifically designed to recog- sources of energy is critical for reducing our nation’s carbon
nize the importance of demand-side actions in reducing electric- emissions. The voluntary purchase of RECs allows businesses
ity sector emissions (as well as emissions related to purchased or and individuals to help grow U.S. renewable energy capacity in
imported steam or heat). a way that is most cost-effective and efficient for the economy
and offers a compelling, verifiable, and transparent way for an
The enactment of climate regulations might necessitate changes organization to meet its environmental goals.
to voluntary REC definitions and to corporate GHG account-
ing rules, but any changes would depend on the details of the EPA supports organizations purchasing RECs that meet the
specific regulations adopted. EPA and other experts agree that it Green Power Partnership eligibility criteria16 and encourages
will still be valuable for organizations to take actions to reduce them to use their purchases to adjust their indirect GHG emis-
the emissions associated with their purchased electricity, and it sions and to claim a smaller carbon footprint.
is possible that voluntary RECs would continue to offer organi-
zations a means to reduce their carbon footprint over and above
a regulatory baseline.
14 To learn how emission reduction claims are quantified, see Greenhouse Gas Protocol Initiative, Indirect CO2 Emissions from the Consumption of Purchased
Electricity, Heat, and/or Steam: Guide to Calculation Worksheets (v. 1.2), January 2007, http://www.ghgprotocol.org/calculation-tools/downloads/ downloads-
registration?referred_from=/downloads/ calcs/ElectricityHeatSteamPurchase_guidance1.2.pdf/; and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Climate Leaders Green-
house Gas Inventory Protocol Optional Modules Methodology for Green Power and Renewable Energy Certificates. 2008. http://www.epa.gov/climateleaders/documents/
greenpower_guidance.pdf.
15 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2008, p. 4.
16 For more information, see: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA’s Green Power Partnership’s Partnership Requirements, May 2010, http://www.epa.gov/green-
power/documents/gpp_partnership_reqs.pdf.
4 October 2010