Mandates that require utilities to generate renewable energy can be satisfied by physically owning the assets and generating power from distributed sources like wind and solar, or by purchasing renewable energy certificates from other who generate power from renewables. This creates markets that vary by state depending on local mandates and regulations. REC trading in… Keep reading →
The incentives offered by Arizona’s electric utilities have spurred their customers to install photovoltaic systems, which helps the companies comply with a mandate for renewable energy distribution. The incentives are renewable energy certificates, which are purchased by utilities from customers producing energy. But the RECs may soon become unnecessary – at least for the residential market – because the cost of producing PV energy is sinking towards parity with the cost for grid power.
This rapidly approaching reality is raising a tricky question: how will utilities demonstrate their compliance with the state’s renewable energy mandate without RECs? Keep reading →
