Renewable energy as a hedge against fuel price fluctuation : how to capture the benefits / / [written by Dan Lieberman and Siobhan Doherty]

• Record Nr.: UNINA9910714504303321
• Autore: Lieberman Dan
• Pubbl/distr/stampa: Montreal, Que., : Commission for Environmental Cooperation, 2008
• Descrizione fisica: 1 electronic text (51 p.) : col. ill., digital file
• Altri autori (Persone): DohertySiobhan
• Disciplina: 333.79/4/097
• Soggetti: Renewable energy sources - Economic aspects - North America; Electric power - Price policy - North America; Energy policy - North America; ........
• Lingua di pubblicazione: Inglese
• Formato: Materiale a stampa
• Livello bibliografico: Monografia
• Nota di bibliografia: Includes bibliographical references (p. 49-51).
• Nota di contenuto: Executive summary.; Introduction.; I. The problem of pricing volatility.; II. The price stability benefits of renewable energy. Wind -- Geothermal -- Solar -- Renewable energy certificates -- Comparison to fossil fuels.; III. How can the price stability benefits be conveyed to customers? Utility and energy marketing models. Long-term fixed contracts with non-residential customers ; Adjustments to monthly bills ; Contracts for differences (CFD) ; Fuel switching from fossil to renewable fuels -- Customer side of the meter models. On-site solar service model ; On-site generation ; Time-of-use metering combined with solar net metering -- Policy-driven models. Renewable portfolio standards -- Integrated resource planning. Public benefit funds.; IV. Case studies. Case study: California renewable portfolio standard -- Case study: the solar services model of Sunedison -- Case study: contract for differences - City of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.; V. Program recommendations/conclusion.; Additional informational resources.
• Sommario/riassunto: In a time of fuel price fluctuation, the use of renewable energy may offer, along with environmental benefits, greater stabilization of electricity costs. The pricing volatility of fossil fuels, along with the difficulty of forecasting fossil fuel prices, puts energy customers and providers at risk from fluctuating energy rates. As an alternative, this paper explores the potential for renewable energy to serve as a financial "hedge", reducing exposure to fuel price risk. Renewable energy generation brings with it the price stability benefits of free-fuel generation from emerging technologies such as solar, wind, small hydro, and geothermal sources. Renewable energy costs tend to be stable or decreasing over time, compared to rising or fluctuating costs for fossil fuel. With certain factors in place, it has been demonstrated that renewable energy can be effectively priced at or below the cost of conventional sources.