Massachusetts SREC-II Update: March 3, 2016

Posted March 3rd, 2016 by SRECTrade.

On March 3, 2016, SRECTrade hosted a webinar on MA SREC-II. The Webinar included an update on the following:

  • Program Overview
  • Current Status of SREC-II
  • Application Process Review
  • Program Outlook

For access to the slides, please click HERE.

For access to a video recording of the webinar, please click the image below:

This document and recording is protected by copyright laws and contains material proprietary to SRECTrade, Inc. It or any components may not be reproduced, republished, distributed, transmitted, displayed, broadcast or otherwise exploited in any manner without the express prior written permission of SRECTrade, Inc. The receipt or possession of this document does not convey any rights to reproduce, disclose, or distribute its contents, or to manufacture, use, or sell anything that it may describe, in whole or in part. If consent to use these materials is granted, a link to the current version of this document on the SRECTrade website must be included for reference.

Maryland SREC Update: March 2016

Posted March 1st, 2016 by SRECTrade.

Recent public discussion of Maryland’s proposed increase to the state’s RPS requirements, as well as the introduction of the Clean Energy Jobs Act to the Maryland general assembly, has brought widespread attention to the status of Maryland’s environmental commodity markets.  Due to this focus we updated our capacity models for Maryland to account for the latest generation data available in GATS.

Our updated MD capacity presentation can be found here.

Through December 2015 (the last reliable month of data due to reporting lag) there was approximately 113,240 SRECs left over from compliance years 2013, 2014 and 2015.  This assumes that the 349,917 available 2015 SRECs are put towards the CY15 compliance requirement of 308,419.  Assuming that the observed average monthly build rate of 10.9 MW/month continues to hold, we project that 534,776 additional SRECs will be generated in compliance year 2016.  Taking together the existing inventory of available prior-year SRECs together with the projected 2016 production, we foresee an oversupply of 216,229 SRECs  by the end of 2016.

As we look into future years, the degree of oversupply begins to vary widely depending on the assumptions made regarding monthly build rates.  In 2017 we see a range of market conditions between a 42% and 82% oversupply, and in 2018 conditions between a 15% and 77% oversupply.  These projections do not take into account the RPS increases currently under legislative review in the Maryland general assembly, as covered in our recent post from February 10th.

We will continue to monitor the state of the Maryland market as more data continues to be made available regarding reported build rates through early 2016.  Please reach out to the SRECTrade team with any questions or feedback.

Massachusetts Net-metering & SREC Policy discussion with UBS Analyst, Julien Dumoulin-Smith

Posted March 1st, 2016 by SRECTrade.

On Friday, February 26, 2016 UBS Analyst Julien Dumoulin-Smith hosted Allyson Browne and Alex Sheets for a discussion on the current state of affairs in Massachusetts regarding solar policy. The slides are available here. The recording is below:

 

UPDATE: UBS published a transcript of the call.

MA SREC-II Update Webinar

Posted March 1st, 2016 by SRECTrade.

SRECTrade will be hosting a webinar this Thursday, March 3rd, at 1:00PM EST. The webinar will cover the current state of the Massachusetts SREC-II program, guidelines for qualifying systems under SREC-II, and general market information.

To attend the webinar click HERE to register. A recording will be made available on our blog for those unable to attend.

Please note, we are currently accepting SREC-II online applications on SRECTrade.com and will continue submitting them to the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) in the order they are received. SRECTrade encourages you to submit complete applications for your system as soon as possible, for the best chance of getting enrolled in the remaining SREC-II capacity. Applications submitted to SRECTrade are not guaranteed to be qualified under the SREC-II program due to the rapidly diminishing capacity remaining in the program.

New Jersey SREC Registration Program (SRP) Transition Update

Posted February 23rd, 2016 by SRECTrade.

The New Jersey Office of Clean Energy announced that, effective March 1st, 2016, all solar renewable energy credit (SREC) registration program (SRP) applications will be submitted through an online portal. This portal is anticipated to expedite the review and approval of SRP registrations and reduce the backlog that the state works with. Registrants will have opportunities to submit project specifications as well as upload supporting documentation through the portal. Although paper applications will no longer be accepted, this development will help to streamline the application process for the nation’s largest SREC market.

Office of Clean Energy representatives hosted training sessions for the online portal on February 18th and 19th. The webinars were made publicly available on the Office’s webpage and a user manual with frequently asked questions will also be developed.

The Office encourages registrants who have previously submitted a paper application to withdraw their application and re-submit it to the online portal on or after March 1st, thus expediting the application review. For applicants that choose to re-submit their registrations in the online portal, the registration date of their original submissions will be used to determine compliance with state rules.

The Office also announced that from this time forward all SRP Registration packets and Final As-built documentation should be submitted to the new address below:

New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program, SRP Processing Team, c/o Applied Energy Group
317 George Street, Suite 305
New Brunswick, NJ 08901

The Office’s phone number for inquiries, 866-NJSMART (657-6278), remains unchanged.

SRECTrade, Inc. continues to enjoy great success transacting in the New Jersey SREC market as prices have steadily risen over the last four months. For more information on the New Jersey SREC market, please visit our state webpage here.

Ohio Revisits RPS for Post-freeze Plans

Posted February 21st, 2016 by SRECTrade.

In June 2014, Ohio Governor John Kasich signed a bill that froze Ohio’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) for two years. With the freeze lifting after 2016, Gov. Kasich called upon Ohio’s Energy Mandates Study Committee in 2015 to provide guidance on how to proceed with the state’s RPS. The 12-member legislative committee released its report in September 2015, recommending that the RPS be frozen indefinitely. Now, despite having signed the bill freezing the RPS in 2014, Gov. Kasich has taken the stance that gutting the state’s renewable mandates would be “unacceptable“, positioning himself for a fight with his General Assembly on the state’s clean energy goals.

Enacted in 2008, the Ohio Renewable Portfolio Standard establishes annual benchmarks for renewable energy procurement. The RPS sets the percent of electricity that must be generated from renewable energy resources by 2027. Within the overall RPS, a percentage must be fulfilled with solar resources. This solar carve-out establishes how many SRECs must be purchased by electricity suppliers. The overall RPS and solar carve-out were originally structured to increase annually between 2009 and 2024, but were frozen at 2014 levels through 2016. The RPS is currently frozen at 2.5%, with the solar carve-out at 0.12%. In the 2014 bill, the RPS schedule was revised to resume with a two year delay after the freeze, but it is possible that Gov. Kasich and Ohio’s General Assembly will now move the RPS in another direction.

SB310, the bill enacting the freeze, also removed the in-state RPS requirement and adjusted the Solar Alternative Compliance Payment (SACP) schedule. The freeze and concurrent changes made to the RPS resulted in devaluing OH-eligible SRECs, harming those who invested in solar in reliance on the state’s commitment to clean energy. Since the bill passed in mid-2014, the value of OH SRECs has dropped from $45 to as low as $15.

While Gov. Kasich claims that the original Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard is “unpalatable“, he has vowed that he would return the program back to its original state if the General Assembly refuses to unfreeze the program. But Ohio’s mixed record on renewable energy and the recent developments on the Clean Power Plan make the future of the RPS uncertain. For now, Ohio joins many other states in the tug-of-war battle over renewable energy policies, making 2016 an important year in shaping the states’–and country’s–clean energy future.

 

Massachusetts SREC-II Solar Capacity Update: February 18, 2016

Posted February 18th, 2016 by SRECTrade.

On Thursday, February 18th, the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) provided an update to the list of SREC-II Qualified Generation Units. Notably, the DOER announced that 67.3 Megawatts (MW) of capacity remains available under the SREC-II program for systems equal to or less than 25 kW DC. The DOER has provided information on its Statement of Qualification Application webpage that clarifies the procedure and required documentation for systems equal to or less than 25 kW to obtain an Assurance of Qualification (AQ).

The DOER continues to sort through the applications for projects larger than 25 kW. As previously announced, on February 5, 2016, the SREC-II program reached its cap for projects greater than 25 kW. As of this update, all incomplete applications have been marked as “Returned” in the online Statement of Qualification Application. The DOER has stated that applications that have been returned have to be completed by Thursday, February 25th, to resubmit a complete application to the DOER. SRECTrade is reviewing all returned applications accordingly and will request missing information from our applicants. We will contact you directly regarding the timing of completion. All missing documentation will need to be prepared and submitted as soon as possible in advance of the DOER deadline.

All applications that are still found by the DOER to be incomplete or that are submitted after the deadline will be rejected, and applicants will be required to reapply with a new application. The DOER will provide a status update to all applicants after completing its review of applications that are resubmitted through this process.

SRECTrade will continue to monitor the current status of the program and provide updates on applications as they become available.

A summary of the current status report can be found below:

Screenshot_021816_055210_PM

Illinois Supplemental PV Procurement Program – Application for March Solicitation – Update

Posted February 16th, 2016 by SRECTrade.

SRECTrade has extended the deadline to submit applications for Round 3 of the Illinois Supplemental PV Procurement Program.

The new application deadline is Friday, March 4th, 2016 at 5 pm CST.

All application materials must be received by this date. Incomplete applications, or applications submitted after this deadline, will not be eligible for the Round 3 Bid. To submit an application, please login or create an account on SRECTrade.com. Even though the application deadline has been extended, we encourage applicants to submit their applications as soon as possible so that materials can be reviewed for completeness and accuracy in advance of the March 4th deadline.

If you have any questions about the program or the application, you can view our introduction webinar and slides online here. You can also contact us at clientservices@srectrade.com, or call us at (877) 466-4606.

Clean Energy Jobs Act Introduced to Maryland’s General Assembly

Posted February 10th, 2016 by SRECTrade.

Since its introduction to the public on December 8th, 2015, the Maryland Clean Energy Jobs Act has made its way to the front doors of the Maryland General Assembly, with the recent introduction of the bill into the Senate under SB0921 and the upcoming introduction into the House of Delegates this coming Friday, February 12th. The Act proposes an increase to the state’s existing Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), which would include slight increases to the solar carve-out. The Act schedules a gradual increase in the state’s RPS obligation to satisfy 25 percent of its energy needs with Tier 1 renewable energy sources by 2020 – a significant advancement of the current goal of 20 percent by 2020. The solar carve-out is scheduled to increase incrementally from the current goal of 2.0 percent by 2020 to 2.5 percent by 2025.

Senator Majority Leader Catherine Pugh (D-Baltimore), Delegate Dereck Davis (D-Prince George’s), Senator Brian Feldman (D-Montgomery), and Delegate Bill Frick (D-Montgomery) have championed the concept of the bill since its inception months ago. The bill was first filed in the Senate by Senator Pugh, and was referred to the Finance Committee in its First Reading on February 5th. The bill’s introduction to the House will be this Friday, which will just beat the state’s House Bill Introduction Date, allowing the bill to bypass referral to the House Rules and Executive Nominations Committee.

While we monitor the progress of this bill on the House and Senate floors, we are continuing to project and analyze the impact that its passage could have on the Maryland solar renewable energy credit (SREC) market. Increasing the annual RPS obligation schedule will also increase the demand for SRECs and support prices in the market. In addition, the Act is anticipated to source $40 million from unallocated contributions from the state’s Strategic Energy Investment Fund, create an estimated 2,000 additional clean energy jobs, and help Maryland address climate change with clean energy.

For more information on the early stages of the Clean Energy Jobs Act, please reference our previous post on the topic from December 11th, 2015.

Massachusetts SREC-II Solar Capacity Update: February 5, 2016

Posted February 5th, 2016 by SRECTrade.

On Friday, February 5, 2016, the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) announced that the total capacity available under the SREC-II Program Capacity Cap for projects larger than 25 kW DC was reached. As of the announcement, the DOER received applications for 854 MW of capacity. This exceeds the current cap for projects greater than 25 kW by more than 193 MW. While it is unclear if all of the submitted facility applications meet the eligibility criteria to qualify under the SREC-II program, the DOER confirmed that all applications for projects larger than 25 kW DC submitted on or before February 1, 2016 were received before the program cap was reached. The DOER noted that they cannot guarantee applications received after February 1, 2016 were submitted prior to the cap being met. For more information, the DOER publicly updates the full details on capacity in SREC-II under the “Qualified Projects” section of their SREC-II current status webpage.

The DOER will continue to review applications and queue them accordingly to the guidelines provided in Section 4(B) of the Assurance of Qualification Guideline. After the DOER confirms that 660.595 MW DC of capacity have been issued Statements or Assurances of Qualification, the DOER will provide further direction for applicants that submitted applications after February 1, 2016, to inform them of their queue status. At this time, the DOER will publish the Waiting List on its website.

SRECTrade, Inc. is continuing to submit applications in the order in which we received them, and will provide additional updates from the DOER as they become available. Below is the summary SREC-II capacity information made available by the DOER as of February 1, 2016.

Blog Post screenshot

We published a detailed analysis on MA SREC-II supply and demand on January 19, 2016. Click here for more information.