MD Solar Thermal Systems Await Application from MD PSC

Posted October 25th, 2011 by SRECTrade.

On January 1st, 2012 the Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) will begin accepting applications for MD-sited Solar Water Heating Systems (SWH) to become certified to sell SRECs in the MD SREC market. As this law allows eligible systems to be installed on or after June 1, 2011, many MD customers are anxiously awaiting their turn to participate in the MD SREC market. As long as a SWH facility meets the necessary metering standards described in an earlier blog post, the facility can produce SRECs for each MWh-equivalent of thermal energy consumed. For single-dwelling residential systems, there is a maximum 5 SRECs per year that may be produced.

The MD PSC will release the formal application form and list of necessary requirements over the next few weeks. While the MD PSC finalizes their application process, MD SWH systems are encouraged to check out our EasyREC SREC management service and to fill out the SRECTrade Solar Thermal EasyREC form. SRECTrade will guide your system through the registration phase and alert you to any supporting documentation that we will need. Check back on our blog for further updates as we approach the new year.

MA2011 SREC Auction Closes at $535/SREC

Posted October 18th, 2011 by SRECTrade.

The Q2 2011 (April – June 2011) MA SRECs were issued on October 15, 2011. Unlike other SREC markets, the MA Solar Carve-Out program mints SRECs quarterly, three and a half months after the close of the calendar quarter. In coordination with the Q2 2011 issuance, SRECTrade recently held a separate auction for MA2011 SRECs.

The auction closed on Monday, October 17th at 5:00 p.m. Eastern. SRECs transacted at a clearing price of $535.00 per SREC. The clearing price, more than 97% of the 2011 Solar Alternative Compliance Payment (SACP), represents a strong demand for MA2011 SRECs due to a shortfall of supply in the market.

Any SRECs that went unsold in the auction will be available for sale in the next SRECTrade auction closing on Monday, October 31, 2011. This auction will cover all of the SREC markets including DC, DE, MA, MD, NJ, OH, and PA. The order window is currently open. All buyers and self-serve sellers can login here to place an order. Sellers utilizing SRECTrade’s management service, EasyREC, will have orders automatically placed on their behalf. If these sellers need to make changes to their minimum offer prices, they must do so prior to the 5:00 p.m. close on October 31.

The next issuance of MA2011 SRECs will be on January 15, 2012, and will cover the Q3 2011 (July – September) generation period.

Massachusetts SREC Auction Closes October 17th at 5 p.m. Eastern

Posted October 13th, 2011 by SRECTrade.

In coordination with the upcoming Massachusetts Q2 2011 Solar REC issuance, SRECTrade will be hosting an auction for MA2011 SRECs. The auction order window is currently open and closes on Monday, October 17th at 5:00 p.m. Eastern. Auction clearing price results will be published on Wednesday, October 19th on SRECTrade.

Haven’t created an account yet? All self-serve sellers managing their own SRECs can create one here. If you are a buyer and have not yet signed up for an account you can do so here.

All sellers with a managed EasyREC account will have orders automatically placed on their behalf. If managed sellers need to make any changes to their offer prices, they can do so through their online account prior to 5:00 p.m. Eastern on Monday, October 17th.

The next SRECTrade auction covering all Solar Renewable Energy Credit markets (i.e. DC, DE, MD, MA, NJ, OH and PA) will close on Monday, October 31st at 5:00 p.m. Eastern. The order window is currently open. To place orders please login here.

New Improvements for EasyREC customers!

Posted October 10th, 2011 by SRECTrade.

SRECTrade is launching a new round of website updates to provide customers with greater ease and versatility in selling SRECs. Some of these changes are already visible for customers when they log onto their EasyREC account. Here are two of the important new features released this week:

A New Account Home Page! This new home page is designed to provide you with all the information you need to know about your unsold SRECs in an streamlined, easy-to-read format. You can simply hover your cursor over your SRECs “Eligible Markets” to see in which states (and which Energy Years) they are eligible, as well as alter their minimum prices. The “Notices” section of the account page will keep you up-to-date on the most recent actions involving your SRECs, so check back whenever you want to get a quick update on your status!

Account

Multiple Minimum Prices! This feature allows customers to set different minimum prices for each of their SREC vintages. This provides customers the ability to stagger their offer prices, potentially selling some of their SRECs now and placing a higher value on others. The “Future Minimum SREC Price” acts as the default minimum price that will be applied to new SRECs as they get created at the end of the month:

Prices

SRECTrade will be adding more new features to your account over the next few months, so stay tuned! Many exiting things are on the way!

We’re continually working to improve our service and would love to hear what you make of these latest improvements.  Send us some feedback »

NJ Capacity Update

Posted October 10th, 2011 by SRECTrade.

The New Jersey Office of Clean Energy (NJ OCE) recently released installed solar capacity figures as of August 31, 2011. After the first three months into Energy Year (EY) 2012, the state has averaged a rate just over 30 MW/month, bringing the total installed capacity to more than 430 MW, up from 339.6 MW at the end of EY2011. In order to meet the state’s fixed production requirement of 442,000 SRECs this year, approximately 370 MW needs to be online throughout the entire compliance period.

The 2012 spot market traded up to $200+/SREC in recent periods with the October auction clearing at $205. The estimated average installed capacity needed to meet the EY2013 requirement is approximately 500 MW. To reach this target by the beginning of EY2013, the state would have to install an additional 70 MW, or an average of 7.8 MW/month for the remainder of EY2012. This calculation takes into consideration the capacity needed to generate enough EY2013 vintage SRECs, which could be reduced based on EY2012 vintage SRECs used to meet the EY2013 compliance obligation.

The surge in installed capacity is partially due to the anticipated expiration of the federal 1603 grant, an upfront cash payment for commercial projects of up to 30% of system costs, at the end of the calendar year. As more projects aim to take advantage of the grant before it expires, the total installed capacity will continue to approach the EY2013 target.

Upon their return from recess, state legislators will consider an amendment to the RPS to pull 2014 and future year requirements forward one year in attempt to prevent a prolonged oversupply in the SREC market. The chart below demonstrates monthly installed capacity and corresponding increases since December 2010.

NJ Capacity Aug 31 2011

Note: This analysis is based on capacity as of the dates noted and does not take into consideration the impact of EY2012 vintage SRECs used to meet the EY2013 requirement.

MA Capacity Update

Posted October 6th, 2011 by SRECTrade.

The MA Department of Energy Resources (DOER) recently published an updated qualified solar projects list as of September 23, 2011. The state currently has a total of 982 solar projects, 957 operational and 25 not operational, eligible for the SREC program. 11 of the 982 projects are greater than 1 MW, 3 of which are currently operational. The largest project, located in Sheffield, MA and approximately 2.0 MW, is not yet operational. The second largest project is 1.8 MW, located in Dartmouth, MA, and has been operational since March 2011. The table below demonstrates the change in capacity and # of projects from the last update on August 15, 2011.


8/15/11 9/23/11 Change % Change
Capacity (MW)
Operational 23.0 26.6 3.7 15.9%
Not Operational1 14.9 14.0 (1.0) -6.6%
Total 37.9 40.6 2.7 7.0%
Projects (#)
Operational 829 957 128 15.4%
Not Operational1 32 25 (7) -21.9%
Total 861 982 121 14.1%
1. A decline in capacity and # of projcts can be explained by not operational projects converting to operational.

Overall, the total qualified capacity currently stands at 40.6 MW, of which 26.6 MW is operational. The next SREC issuance period is scheduled for October 15, 2011. This will cover all SRECs generated during Q2 2011. Based on the information provided by the DOER as of 9/12/2011, 2,358 SRECs were issued in Q1 2011 (issuance date was 7/15/11). Additionally, based on the data provided, 5,652* MWh have been reported to the MassCEC Production Tracking System (PTS) for the period covering April – June 2011. An another 3,929* MWh have been reported during July and August 2011.

Taking into consideration the estimated load exemptions for the TransCanada settlement, MA electricity suppliers need to acquire approximately 63,000 SRECs during the 2011 compliance year.  According to the DOER 2012 minimum standard announcement, the forecast generation for the 2011 compliance year is 29,056 SRECs.

The chart below demonstrates the qualified capacity as of 9/23/11 compared to the estimated MW requirements needed to be online and operational during the entire 2011 and 2012 compliance years to meet the state’s solar obligations.

MA Capacity 9_23_11

Note: The 2011 and 2012 estimated megawatts required in the chart above have been adjusted for the impact of the TransCanada settlement.

* These figures represent the MWhs reported to PTS on a monthly basis. The DOER notes that the data from PTS is not finalized and the actual number of SRECs minted by NEPOOL GIS may differ.


PA State Rep. Chris Ross Introduces HB 1580

Posted October 4th, 2011 by SRECTrade.

State Representative Chris Ross’ (R-Chester) long awaited House Bill 1580 was formally introduced on Monday, 10/4/2011. Solar industry advocates interested in stabilizing SREC prices are closely watching the progress of HB 1580, hoping that the bill will receive widespread support within the Pennsylvania House and Senate. Christina Simeone of PennFuture mentioned that the bill currently has the support of 104 co-sponsors, over half of the 203 member PA House (40 of the co-sponsors are Republicans).

The amendment would modify the solar carve-out requirements for energy years 2013, 2014, and 2015 would increase from approximately 71 MW, 118 MW and 205 MW to 207 MW, 238 MW, and 290 MW, respectively. Language in HB 1580 also proposes changes to the eligibility criteria so that only in-state systems registered after January 1, 2011 would be able to sell SRECs in the PA market.

Once HB 1580 is submitted to committee it must contend with other pressing issues before the House and Senate such as state budget deliberations. Given the current issues before the House, it may be several months before the bill can go to vote, however local advocacy groups are committed to raising the profile of the bill over the next several weeks to ensure that it receives the full attention of House members in these critical initial stages. SRECTrade will continue to closely monitor the bill as it moves forward.

For more information on HB 1580 please go here and here.

The Vote Solar Initiative has put together a “contact your Representative” link for HB 1580.

PV Installations Rise amid 1603 Grant Concerns

Posted October 4th, 2011 by SRECTrade.

A recent report conducted by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and GTM Research found that the US solar PV industry continued its growth through the first two quarters of 2011. Despite a slight decline in residential PV installations from Q1 to Q2, commercial and utility-scale solar installations surged, accounting for over 200 of the 314 MW installed in Q2 alone.

The impressive growth is partially attributed to the somewhat unpredictable schedule of the federal 1603 cash-grant, which covers 30% of project costs for commercial solar systems. Toward the end of 2010, project developers scrambled to get as many projects in the pipeline as quickly as possible over concerns that the grant would expire at the end of the year. Q4 in 2010 installed over 360 MW of capacity, up from roughly 187 MW in Q3 2010.

A carry-over from last year’s late rush to get projects underway contributed to the impressive numbers posted in Q1 2011. Though the grant program was extended through 2011, there is yet again a rising fear that the grant’s expiration is imminent. The US Congressional Join Select Committee (JSC), which was created to cut at least $1.2 trillion in federal spending, will likely eliminate the grant program upon its scheduled expiration at the end of the year. Though the program has been successful, awarding $8.5 billion overall (three times the projected amount of $3 billion), continuing the government-funded program is simply counter to JSC’s goal of reducing the current budget deficit.

A repeat of last year’s late surge is expected going into the last few months of 2011. In order to qualify for a grant, a system must begin construction by the end of the year. Similar to last year, a project is deemed to have begun construction based on the program’s “5% safe harbor” rule, which requires at least 5% of the total cost of the property or system to be paid by December 31, 2011. Projects only then need to be completed by the end of 2016 to qualify for the grant.

October 2011 SREC Auction Results

Posted October 3rd, 2011 by SRECTrade.

SRECTrade’s October 2011 SREC Auction has completed. Below are the clearing prices at which SRECs traded this month.

October SREC Prices Energy Year Ending
State 2010 2011 2012*
Delaware $90.00
Maryland In-State $200.00
Maryland Out-of-State
Massachusetts
New Jersey $670.00 $670.00 $205.00
Ohio In-State $395.00
Ohio Out-of-State
Pennsylvania $24.99
Washington, DC $61.00 $101.00

Notes:
*Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania operate on a June-May energy year.
“-” reflects no sale, which would result if there were no matching bids and offers that cleared for a sale in the auction.

State Market Observations:

Delaware: Legislation increasing the SREC requirement went into effect this past June but the market has yet to pick up in response. Stakeholders in DE continue to work to wards a long-term SREC contract solicitation program for new facilities. Meanwhile, the SREC market will likely pick up at the end of the energy year when electricity suppliers are more active.

Maryland: SRECs continue to hover around $200, as the in-state supply of 28.3 MW grows near the ~29 MW of capacity that was required on average throughout 2011. The state seems on a good pace to maintain a balanced supply relative to demand. As 2011 comes to an end, a shortage of SRECs in the state, if any, will be reflected by an increase in prices at the end of the trading period in the first quarter of 2012. Out-of-state SRECs continue to be a non-factor in Maryland.

Massachusetts: The next batch of SRECs will be created on October 17th for Q2 2012 generation. SRECTrade holds special quarterly auctions for Massachusetts SRECs on the day they are created. The next quarterly MA SREC auction closes on Monday October 17th.

New Jersey: Last minute purchasing fueled by the predicted shortage of 2011 SRECs drove pricing up for the few remaining 2011 SRECs in the market. Meanwhile, the 2012 market rebounded to $205 after dropping to $165 last month. As more buyers become active in the 2012 market, prices should continue to correct, though, given the continued influx of supply (now at 430 MW), any price corrections will be limited unless the state takes some action.

Ohio: In-State SRECs continue to be in high demand as prices clear at or near the SACP again. Meanwhile, the demand for out-of-state SRECs has slowed down at this time, likely due to the effects of a significant oversupply in Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania: HB 1508 was recently introduced to address the state’s SREC market. This marks the beginning of a long process to rescue the PA SREC market. Until then, SRECs will continue to bottom out.

Washington, DC: New legislation closing the DC market borders and increasing requirements is having an impact as prices jumped back up over $100 for the first time this year.

For historical pricing please see this link. As mentioned the Massachusetts quarterly auction order period will close on Monday October 17th. For all other states, the order period for the November auction will close on Monday, October 31, 2011 at 5:00 p.m Eastern. For more information, please visit www.srectrade.com.

$4.5M solar grant bridges Connecticut’s transition to SRECs (a.k.a. ZRECs)

Posted October 3rd, 2011 by SRECTrade.

After successfully passing Bill 1243, Connecticut will be moving to an SREC-based solar financing program in 2012 (technically referred to as ZREC or LREC for “low-” or “zero-” emission). Per the guidelines set forth in the legislation, the state’s electricity suppliers must propose plans for the SREC solicitation program by the end of this year. Given that the law doesn’t require the first contracts to be signed until the end of 2012, we expect the details for the Connecticut SREC program to be finalized in mid- to late-2012.

In an effort to bridge the time until SRECs launch in Connecticut, the Clean Energy Finance and Investment Authority (formerly CT Clean Energy Fund) has developed a solicitation for solar projects by experienced developers. $4.5M in solar funding is available through the competitive RFP. The solicitation period will be open until December 30, 2011 and results will be announced in March 2012. However, any projects that take the grant will not be eligible for the SREC program commencing in late 2012. The CEFIA will hold an information session at the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, 79 Elm Street, Hartford, CT on October 12, 2011. See below for more information and check out this website for complete details.

The Clean Energy Finance and Investment Authority (CEFIA), formerly the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund (CCEF), has combined the former Best of Class and Public Buidlings solicitations.  The new solicitation, the On-Site Renewable Distributed Generation (OSDG) Program Best of Class, Public Buildings and Affordable Housing Request for Proposals (RFP) solicits applications from eligible entities working with experienced renewable energy developers. There will be a strong emphasis on evaluating the financial feasibility of proposed projects as well as the ability of applicants to complete project construction in a timely manner. The intent of the funding is to enable owners of eligible renewable energy systems to “break even” over the life of the equipment, with a fair and reasonable return on investment compared to purchasing the equivalent amount of power from an electric utility company.

CEFIA is currently offering OSDG grants through an RFP format. The OSDG Best of Class, Public Buildings and Affordable Housing RFP will be offered to bridge the time until the launch of the Zero-Emission and Low-Emission Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) programs become available to the market and to prepare the market for the transition from a grant-based program model to a REC-based program model. The competitive, solar photovoltaic (PV) only RFP will close at 5:00 p.m. EST on December 30, 2011. The closing date for the rolling submission, other technologies RFP will be announced in early October 2011.

Funding available under this RFP is as follows:

Best of Class, Public Buildings and Affordable Housing

Type of RFP

PV

$4,500,000

Competitive

Fuel Cell

To Be Announced

Rolling Submission

Other Technologies

To Be Announced

Rolling Submission
Competitve, PV-only RFP Timeline Activities
Activity Date
Issue RFP document
September 12, 2011
Issue press release
September 12, 2011
Questions accepted in writing – E-mail only – info@ctcleanenergy.com
September 12, 2011 to
October 12, 2011

Information session – Phoenix Room, Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, 79 Elm Street, Hartford
4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

October 12, 2011
Final question responses posted on CEFIA Website
October 31, 2011
RFP response due date – Competitive solicitation only
December 30, 2011
5:00 p.m. EST
Eligibility rejection/acceptance letters issued – Competitive solicitation only
January 2012
CEFIA staff recommendations to the Board – Competitive solicitation only
February 2012
Funding authorization letters issued – Competitive solicitation only
March 2012

The timeline for the rolling submission, other technologies RFP will be announced in early October 2011.

Links to Important Information

Competitive Solicitation RFP document – PV only
Competitive Solicitation RFP application – PV only