Posts Tagged ‘SREC’

SRECTrade launches in Ohio

Posted June 18th, 2009 by SRECTrade.

We are really excited to announce that we will be launching our auction in Ohio next month! We are adding seven new states in our July 10th auction and giving SREC sellers the ability to cross-list their SRECs. Unlike previous years, the Ohio SREC market is going to be significant and increase rapidly every year. Our estimates show that there will be a demand for 6,200 SRECs in Ohio this year, half of which must come from Ohio generators. These numbers represent the 0.004% solar requirement for utilities in Ohio and this number will grow to 0.5% by 2024.

Utilities that fail to comply will have to pay a Solar Alternative Compliance Payment (SACP) for each SREC (i.e. 1 Mega Watt Hour of electricity) they are short. For 2009, this has been set at $450. For 2010 and 2011 it will be $400, $350 for 2012 and 2013, and will continue to drop $50 every two years until it reaches $50 in 2024.

The SACP somewhat represents the ceiling price for SRECs. This is the first year that the SREC requirement is significant in Ohio where the demand is expected to be higher than supply. This means utilities will be willing to pay prices closer to the SACP. Therefore, our suggestion would be to not enter into long-term contracts, at least for now, as the future of the SREC market is still not fully certain.

PA, MD, DC, and OH accept out of state SRECs for now. For those of you who wish to be able to sell your certificates in these states, your system needs to be registered in that state and have a separate State Certification Number. We will soon put up information on the procedure.

How to get started in Ohio:

1. Certify your PV system: your installer will provide you with the information to get your system certified by the state.

2. Start selling your SRECs:

Option A: Sign up for our EasyBid service, and we’ll handle your SRECs. We’ll take care of registering your system to generate SRECs, and cross-listing your SRECs on our multi-state auction platform every month to make sure you get the best price for your SRECs.

Option B: Users who choose to manage their own SREC accounts can register with GATS or MISO in Ohio. Then post your SRECs every month on SRECTrade.com or find a third-party to sell your SRECs.

SRECTrade Now in Delaware

Posted June 18th, 2009 by SRECTrade.

For our July 10th auction, SRECTrade plans on having a fully functional multi-state platform in place with seven new states and the ability to cross-list your SREC in multiple states. Delaware is a fairly new and liberal market for the exchange of SRECs. There are no restrictions on exporting SRECs and the state Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) has a specific carve-out for Solar through 2019. The standard is 20% renewables by 2019, with solar representing 2.005%.

If an electricity supplier (utility) doesn’t reach the solar-carve out threshold with their own solar supply or by purchasing SRECs, they must pay a Solar Alternative Compliance Payment (SACP) as an offsetting penalty into a state renewable energy fund. In Delaware, the SACP begins at $250 per MWh and increases $50 every year if a utility didn’t reach the threshold in the previous year. So there is a big incentive to buy SRECs to reach the threshold. This is why SREC prices follow SACP prices.

This year in Delaware, SRECs have fetched prices between $200-$250. However, as time progresses, if utilities don’t meet the solar threshold, you will see the SACP average price climb because of the $50 per year increase, and the SREC price will follow.

Additionally, since other states have different structures for their SACP price, they will have different prices for their SRECs. If you register your Delaware system in other states (e.g., Pennsylvania), you will be able to sell your SRECs in the states you are registered in by checking the cross-list box on the SRECTrade.com order. We’ll make sure you get the best price possible in your eligible states.

How to get started in Delaware:

1. Certify your PV system: your installer will provide you with the information to get your system certified by the state.

2. Option A: Sign up for our EasyBid service, and we’ll handle your SRECs. We’ll take care of registering your system with GATS, and cross-listing your SRECs on our multi-state auction platform every month to make sure you get the best price for your SRECs.

Option B: Sign up for GATS yourself in Delaware, as well as other states that accept Delaware SRECs (Pennsylvania and Maryland to start). Then post your SRECs every month on SRECTrade.com or find a third-party to sell your SRECs.

SRECTrade Expands to Maryland

Posted June 18th, 2009 by SRECTrade.

SRECTrade is expanding into several other PJM Region states in July of 2009. As part of this expansion, we are utilizing this blog to help introduce our customers to the individual state SREC programs. Maryland’s Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (RPS) requires electric service providers to provide 20 percent of their sales in the state from renewable energy sources by 2022. There is a specific carve-out for solar-generated electricity, currently at .01% for 2009 and set to reach 2% by 2022. Much like other states, electricity suppliers must make an alternative compliance payment (ACP) into the Maryland Strategic Energy Investment Fund should they not meet each yearly requirement.

Maryland is unique because the RPS mandates that electricity suppliers buying from individual solar owners must enter a 15-year contract for the sale of all the owner’s SRECs produced during that time. Due to uncertainty of the future, electricity suppliers have been disinclined to buy SRECs in this manner, and thus both sides have mutually used third parties (as allowed by law) as a means of transferring the credits between individuals and electricity suppliers. The SRECTrade auctions will serve as means to sell SRECs for sellers who are unable to lock into the 15-year contracts.

Meanwhile, Fred Ugast, an advocate for Maryland solar owners at U.S. Photovoltaics, has been working to secure 15-year contracts for their SRECs. He has familiarized us with the Maryland market and we are following his progress in this endeavor. According to Fred, there were 94 solar photovoltaic (PV) systems eligible to create SRECs in 2008, and 252 SRECs were created. This left estimated solar ACP payments at nearly one million dollars. The demand for SRECs in Maryland is approximately 5,000 in 2009, but supply is expected to increase at a faster rate over the next few years. SRECTrade hopes to be an integral part of matching that supply with demand in Maryland. Please check back as we learn more!