Barriers to Distributed Renewable Energy
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The document discusses barriers to the growth of community-owned distributed renewable energy, highlighting issues such as tradition, capital, cash flow, legal restrictions, and utility perspectives. It emphasizes the complexity and costs associated with raising capital for small projects and compares the financial viability of solar projects in the U.S. versus other countries like Germany and Ontario. Additionally, it explores potential solutions, including crowdfunding and regulatory changes to improve access and participation in community solar initiatives.
Barriers to Distributed Renewable Energy
- 1. Barriers to Distributed Renewable Energy efficient | economical | equitable John Farrell, Senior Researcher
- 2. Total Installed Capacity 47,000 MW 4,034 MW Together = 3.3% of U.S. sales
- 3. How Much Community-Owned? 47,000 MW 5%? 10%? 25%? 4,034 MW
- 4. Community-Owned just 1%
- 5. Why Community-Owned? 2 Community-Owned = distributed (distributed generation) x (distributed ownership)
- 6. Barriers to Distributed Generation • Tradition • Capital • Cash Flow • Legal • Utility
- 7. Tradition Utility Perspective Reality Centralized Power Clean, local power Solar PV power plant Storage Storage Transmission network Storage Storage House Local CHP plant Distribution network House with domestic CHP Wind power Factory Commercial plant building
- 8. Barriers to Distributed Generation • Tradition • Capital • Cash Flow • Legal • Utility
- 9. Capital ...buy this? How can they...
- 10. Rules for Raising Capital • Full registration • Regulation D • Regulation A • Intra-State • Private
- 11. Type of Upfront Compliance Restrictions registration Cost Costs $100,000- Full SEC 125,000 Over $400,000/yr None $30,000 Accredited investors; Regulation D -50,000 $10,000/yr prior relationship $50,000 Regulation A -75,000 $10,000/yr $5 million offering $50,000 Intra-State -75,000 $10,000/yr (MN) In-state only Prior relationship; no Private Minimal Minimal advertising
- 12. Type of Upfront Compliance Restrictions registration Cost Costs $100,000- Full SEC 125,000 Over $400,000/yr None $30,000 Accredited investors; Regulation D -50,000 $10,000/yr prior relationship 9% 3% $50,000 Regulation A -75,000 $10,000/yr $5 million offering Project Cost $50,000 Upfront Intra-State -75,000 $10,000/yr (MN) In-state only Compliance Prior relationship; no Private Minimal Minimal advertising
- 13. Type of Upfront Compliance Restrictions registration Cost Costs $100,000- Full SEC 125,000 Over $400,000/yr None $30,000 Accredited investors; Regulation D -50,000 $10,000/yr prior relationship $50,000 Regulation A -75,000 $10,000/yr $5 million offering 59% Intra-State 19%$50,000 $10,000/yr (MN) In-state only -75,000 Project Cost Prior relationship; no Private Upfront Minimal Minimal advertising Compliance Too costly for small projects
- 14. Type of Upfront Compliance Restrictions registration Cost Costs $100,000- Full SEC 125,000 Over $400,000/yr None Accredited $30,000 investors; prior Regulation D -50,000 $10,000/yr relationship w/ investors $50,000 Regulation A -75,000 $10,000/yr $5 million offering $50,000 Intra-State -75,000 $10,000/yr (MN) In-state only Prior relationship; no Private Minimal Minimal advertising
- 15. Type of Upfront Compliance Restrictions registration Cost Costs $100,000- Full SEC 125,000 Over $400,000/yr None Accredited $30,000 Regulation D -50,000 $10,000/yr investors; prior relationship $50,000 Regulation A -75,000 $10,000/yr $5 million offering $50,000 Intra-State -75,000 $10,000/yr (MN) In-state only Prior relationship; no Private Minimal Minimal advertising
- 16. Type of Upfront Compliance Restrictions registration Cost Costs $100,000- Full SEC 125,000 Over $400,000/yr None Accredited $30,000 Regulation D -50,000 $10,000/yr investors; prior relationship $50,000 Regulation A -75,000 $10,000/yr $5 million offering Intra-State $50,000 -75,000 ≤ 2 turbines $10,000/yr (MN) In-state only Prior relationship; no Private Minimal Minimal advertising
- 17. Type of Upfront Compliance Restrictions registration Cost Costs $100,000- Full SEC 125,000 Over $400,000/yr None Accredited $30,000 5% Regulation D -50,000 $10,000/yr investors; prior relationship 27% $50,000 Regulation A -75,000 $10,000/yr $5 million offering $50,000 Intra-State Project Cost -75,000 $10,000/yr (MN) In-state only Upfront Compliance Prior relationship; no Private Minimal Minimal advertising Still costly for small projects
- 18. Type of Upfront Compliance Restrictions registration Cost Costs $100,000- Full SEC 125,000 Over $400,000/yr None Accredited $30,000 Regulation D -50,000 $10,000/yr investors; prior relationship $50,000 Regulation A -75,000 $10,000/yr $5 million offering $50,000 Intra-State -75,000 $10,000/yr (MN) In-state only Prior relationship; no Private Minimal Minimal advertising
- 19. Type of Upfront Compliance Restrictions registration Cost Costs 5% $100,000- 27% SEC Full 125,000 Over $400,000/yr None Accredited Project Cost $30,000 Regulation D -50,000 $10,000/yr investors; prior Upfront relationship Compliance $50,000 Regulation A -75,000 $10,000/yr $5 million offering $50,000 Intra-State -75,000 $10,000/yr (MN) In-state only Prior relationship; no Private Minimal Minimal advertising Still costly for small projects
- 20. Type of Upfront Compliance Restrictions registration Cost Costs $100,000- Full SEC 125,000 Over $400,000/yr None Accredited $30,000 Regulation D -50,000 $10,000/yr investors; prior relationship $50,000 Regulation A -75,000 $10,000/yr $5 million offering $50,000 Intra-State -75,000 $10,000/yr (MN) In-state only Prior relationship; Private Minimal Minimal no advertising
- 21. Capital is HARD • Full = EXPENSIVE • Regulation D = RICH FOLKS • Regulation A = SIZE/COST • Intra-State = COSTLY • Private = LIMITED
- 22. Hope: Crowdfunding • 2012 federal JOBS Act • $1 million limit • Minimal compliance • Lower upfront cost: $10-15k
- 23. Example Private Placement
- 24. Barriers to Distributed Generation • Tradition • Capital • Cash Flow • Legal • Utility
- 25. complex...
- 26. Minnesota Commercial Solar Project Cash Flow 30% 25% 25% 20% 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% Federal tax credit Depreciation State rebate Net metering
- 27. Germany/Ontario Commercial Solar Project Cash Flow 100% 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% Feed-In Tariff
- 28. Feed-In Tariff • Long-term, fixed price contract • Guaranteed, simple grid connection • Price sufficient for small profit
- 29. Policy Shapes Cost High U.S. Return Ontario Germany Low Low Risk High
- 30. Policy Shapes Participation 80% of German solar is on small rooftops
- 31. U.S. Exception University Park community solar
- 32. Barriers to Distributed Generation • Tradition • Capital • Cash Flow • Legal • Utility
- 33. Which Makes Sense for Community Solar? A.Nonprofit B.City C. County D.Cooperative E. All of the Above
- 34. Which Makes Sense for Community Solar? A.Nonprofit B.City C. County D.Cooperative E.All of the Above
- 35. Which One Works? A.Nonprofit B.City C. County D.Cooperative E. All of the Above
- 36. Which One Works? A.Nonprofit B.City C. County D.Cooperative E. All of the Above F.None of the Above
- 37. Minnesota Nonprofit Solar Project Cash Flow 15% 15% 25% 25% 20% 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% Federal tax credit Middleman Depreciation State rebate Net metering
- 38. Exception Mt. Pleasant Solar Cooperative Group purchase, no legal entity
- 39. Exception South Dakota Wind Partners 7 turbines, 600 owners, 1 expired cash grant
- 40. Barriers to Distributed Generation • Tradition • Capital • Cash Flow • Legal • Utility
- 41. True or false? In 2012, most utilities measure how much electricity is used during peak periods and during minimum use periods on their own grid.
- 42. True or false? In 2012, most utilities measure how much electricity is used during peak periods and during minimum use periods on their own grid. FALSE
- 43. How Local Solar Gets Capped ≤ 1. A Limit on Local Power Generation Utilities always want local power generation to be less than local minimum electricity demand so that electricity will not flow out of neighborhoods and back onto the grid.* ? 2. A Guesstimate of Minimum Demand Peak use Whoops! Utilities assume minimum demand is about 30% of peak demand, because they don’t measure minimum demand. ÷ 2 3. An Arbitrary Safety Margin Utilities take this 30% threshold and divide by 2 to get a 15% cap on local solar. “Minimum”(30%) ÷2 Default cap of 15% *Also addressed with 2-way electrical equipment Percent of peak power allowed from local solar
- 44. How States Can Raise the Cap (Hawaii) Hawaii’s Update (2011) 1. A Daytime Minimum How much solar power is produced at 4 AM? Hawaii estimates the minimum None. But that’s the time of day utilities used demand during daytime. for their minimum demand calculation. Hawaii solar advocates negotiated a change: to estimate minimum demand when the sun is up (Sundays at noon). “Daytime min.” Even though utilities maintain the arbitrary “division by 2” safety margin, this change ÷2 could allow nearly twice as much local solar on the grid. Cap is raised to ~25% Percent of peak power allowed from local solar
- 45. How States Can Raise the Cap (California) 1. A Measured Daytime Minimum California’s Update (2012) Utilities must actually measure the minimum Measured daytime demand demand on a power line between 9 AM and 4 PM No “division by 2” and no longer use peak demand as a proxy. ÷ 2 2. No “Division by 2” Utilities can’t arbitrarily divide the cap by 2, now that the power line capacity is actually measured. The result could nearly triple the original Daytime minimum 15% cap on local solar power. Cap is raised to ~50% Percent of peak power allowed from local solar
- 46. Utilities also Want Limits on Total Net Metering LEGEND no statutory net metering limit Lets customers pay aggregate limit higher than 1% “net” of own use and of peak demand aggregate limit 1% of peak own generation demand or less
- 47. Exception Replicable community solar!
- 48. Distributed Generation Barriers Exceptions • Tradition • Mt. Pleasant Solar Coop • Clean Energy Collective • Capital • Maryland Solar LLC • Cash Flow • SD Wind Partners • Legal • Utility Learn more at EnergySelfReliantStates.org