Adding renewable energy to your organization’s supply portfolio can provide both financial and sustainability benefits.

Renewable energy is growing rapidly worldwide thanks to lower costs and government incentives for renewable electricity generation, particularly solar and wind generation. That growth is leading to significant change in the electricity industry, presenting opportunities and challenges to large energy consumers.

Purchasing renewable energy is a key component of most sustainability or carbon footprint reduction strategies, however it can be fraught with complexities and unforeseen risks. Energy Edge can help your organization navigate the complexities of renewable energy procurement with its renewable energy consulting services.

Renewable Energy Strategy Development

A well-developed renewable energy strategy is key to the successful integration of renewable energy purchases into an energy supply portfolio. Key areas that Energy Edge can help address are:

  • Establishing the goals of the renewable strategy:
    • Serve load & hedge against rising commodity costs,
    • Renewable portfolio standard (RPS) compliance hedge,
    • Carbon footprint reduction,
    • Sustainability goals
    • Brand identity
  • On-site vs. off-site purchases
  • Financing structures including:
    • Cash purchases
    • Power purchase agreements
    • Virtual power purchase agreements
    • Roof top leases
    • 3rd party financing
    • PACE financing
  • Additionality vs. sourcing from an existing facility

Evaluating a Renewable Energy Purchase

Evaluating a renewable energy purchase can be complicated and requires many different assumptions and inputs. Energy Edge brings substantial analytical tools and capabilities to the evaluation and structuring of each transaction.

  • Long term power price forecasting
  • Scenario based analysis of future grid states
  • Analysis of risks such as congestion, curtailment, production guarantees, etc.
  • Complete financial modeling of a transaction including:
    • Avoided grid power costs,
    • Sales of excess production and capacity,
    • Value of offsets & credits,
    • Financing costs,
    • O&M costs,
    • ISO settlement charges and others
  • Feasibility of integrating energy storage into purchase

Renewable Energy Procurement

Procurement of renewable energy differs substantially from procurement of conventional energy. Energy Edge can manage the process from end to end so your organization can focus on the strategic decisions that will determine the success of the purchase.

  • Coordinated RFP process to fit renewable energy strategy
  • Evaluation of development process and asset location for offsite purchases
  • Review of financeability of proposed projects
  • Comparison of expected production profiles and ability to meet goals of purchase
  • Arrangement of additional services needed as part of the renewable purchase or separately, including:
    • Scheduling services,
    • Settlement services,
    • Metering & telemetry,
    • Regulatory obligation management and others

Negotiation of Power Purchase Agreements

Power purchase agreements (PPAs) for renewable energy vary greatly between different suppliers and developers of renewable energy. Having an energy market expert such as Energy Edge at the table is critical to negotiating an agreement that will deliver the expected value over the typically long term of the agreement. Key commercial terms Energy Edge focuses on include:

  • Appropriate risk allocation between the parties
  • Energy production guarantees
  • Remedies for production shortfall, default, and other adverse outcomes
  • Force majeure, buyer and utility curtailments
  • Regulatory and compliance costs and allocation
  • Ownership of generation attributes including renewable energy credits, carbon offsets, resource adequacy capacity, and others
  • Security requirements

Services

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