Studies
Below are research reports the Clean Coalition believes are valuable for understanding clean energy programs and their role in accelerating renewable energy investment.
Economic Benefits of a Comprehensive Feed-In Tariff: Analysis of the REESA in California | by Daniel Kammen & Max Wei | University of California, Berkeley
This ground-breaking study led by UC Berkeley Distinguished Professor of Energy and World Bank Chief Technical Specialist for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, Dan M. Kammen, concludes that the use of a CLEAN Program (such as CLEAN California) to achieve California's 33 percent renewables by 2020 objective will deliver three times more economic benefits to the state of California than the standard approach, which is focused on transmission-dependent central station renewables. Learn more here or directly download the UC Berkeley Study, and Executive Summary.
Interconnection Jurisdiction Brief | by Tam Hunt, J.D. & Rebecca Davis, J.D. | Clean Coalition
Superior Value of Distribution-Interconnected Generation Brief | Clean Coalition
The cost of delivering energy from the point it is interconnected to the grid to the point that it is consumed by a customer can be greater than the wholesale purchase price of the energy itself. As a result, the true ratepayer cost of energy is often lower for generation that is interconnected to the distribution grid than for generation that is interconnected to the transmission grid. To understand the superior value of distribution-interconnected energy, it is vital to consider the hidden costs of delivery. This Clean Coalition briefing discusses key factors in determining true cost of delivered energy, including grid development, transmission charges and line losses. Download the brief here.
Ratepayer Benefits Analysis | Clean Coalition
The Clean Coalition analysis has found a critically important result: The CLEAN Programs will *save money* for California ratepayers. Learn more here.
CLEAN v SRECs: Fincing the More Cost Effective Solar Policy | by John Farrell | New Rules Project
In light of the recent collapse of Solar Renewable Energy Credit (SREC) markets, Farrell's report aims to compare the cost-effectiveness of SREC and Clean Local Energy Accessible Now (CLEAN) Programs to finance solar energy projects and meet renewable energy goals. Farrell has found that the transparency, certainty, and low risk nature of CLEAN Programs allow them to deliver solar energy at a significantly lower levelized cost than SRECs. This means CLEAN Programs enjoy higher bankability with lower transaction costs and lighter ratepayer impact. Farrell's analysis is certainly a challenge to the status quo in places like New Jersey, which has assumed that SRECs are a preferred mechanism for encouraging solar deployments. His report clearly shows the opportunity that new jurisdictions have in considering CLEAN Programs. Download the report here.
Democratizing the Electricity System | by John Farrell | New Rules Project
John Farrell's report explains the exciting transformation that will occur as renewable energy changes the structure and sale of the distribution grid. By abandoning the 20th-century grid dominated by large, centralized utilities and creating a 21st-century grid that is a democratized network of independently-owned and widely dispersed renewable energy generators, the economic benefits of electricity generation will be more widely dispersed. Download the report here.
CLEAN Contracts: Making Clean Local Energy Accessible Now: Bringing More Renewable Electricity into the Marketplace | by Richard W. Caperton, Bracken Hendricks, John Lauer, & Courtner Hight | Center for American Progress, Groundswell, Energy Action Coalition
This study examines CLEAN contracts, which have spurred more renewable projects than any other mechanism, and gives advice about how lawmakers and advocates can accelerate the adaptation of CLEAN contracts in their communities. Download the study here.
Community Power: Decentralized Renewable Energy in California | by Al Weinrub | Sierra Club California Energy-Climate Committee
This policy paper, which was completed as a joint project of the Sierra Club California Energy-Climate Committee (ECC) and the Bay Area’s Local Clean Energy Alliance, stresses the need to reduce electricity demand and transition to renewable sources of energy. To work towards these goals, the merits of decentralized electricity generation are discussed. Download the policy paper here.
The Biogas Opportunity in Wisconsin: 2011 Strategic Plan | by Gary Radloff | Wisconsin Bioenergy Initiative
This strategic plan describes the importance of CLEAN Programs in helping Wisconsin build a new energy economy by turning biogas into energy. Download plan here.
The German Feed-in Tariff for PV: Managing Volume Success with Price Response | by Mark Fulton & Nils Mellquist | Deutsche Bank Group
This report, completed by Deutsche Bank, analyzes the transparency, longevity, and certainty of Germany's feed-in tariff (FIT) policy (also called a "CLEAN policy"). The FIT policy, which the report finds to be the best renewable energy policy structure in the world, is presented according to its historic evolution and future trajectory. Please click here to access the report through Deutsche Bank's website.
Memos for the IEPR Comittee Workshop on Renewable, Localized Generation on May 9, 2011 | KEMA, Inc.
These memos were generated by KEMA, Inc., a global energy consulting firm, and were commissioned by the California Energy Commission's Integrated Energy Policy Report (IEPR) Committee. The findings in the memos were presented at the IEPR meeting in May 2011. KEMA's overarching conclusion is that California's grid can accommodate high penetrations of Wholesale Distributed Generation (WDG), which is comprised of 20 MW-and-smaller projects that are interconnected to the distribution grid. Download the first memo, which discusses physical infrastructure and distributed generation (DG) interconnection, here. Download the second memo, which discusses DG network planning and operational impacts, here. Download the third memo, which discusses DG options, here.
Local Power: Generating Clean Energy in Our Communities | by Stephanie Wang, J.D., Timothy Green, J.D., & Rebecca Davis, J.D. | American Planning Association
This article, written by Clean Coalition's Stephanie Wang and Rebecca Davis and co-authored by Timothy Green, was published in the American Planning Association Law Journal on June 8, 2011. The article provides an overview of CLEAN Programs and cites concrete examples of the benefits of distributed generation. Download the article here.