Publications
National Renewable Energy Laboratory analysis publications, including technical papers, journal articles, and conference presentations, integrate and analyze technical, economic, and policy information to inform and shape the energy dialogue. The latest NREL analysis publications appear below. For more analysis publications, search the NREL Publications Database.
NREL Studies of Voluntary Markets Draw Positive Feedback from Utilities
NREL analysts Jenny Heeter and Lori Bird presented at the 2012 Renewable Energy Markets Conference, a premier national forum for promoting renewable energy.
Heeter presented Innovations in Voluntary Renewable Energy Procurement: Methods for Expanding Access and Lowering Cost for Communities, Governments, and Businesses, which explores five innovative options for voluntarily procuring renewable energy generation or systems. Bird discussed Market Brief: Status of the Voluntary Renewable Energy Certificate Market (2011 Data), which documents the status and trends of voluntary markets—those in which consumers and institutions purchase renewable energy to match their electricity needs on a voluntary basis.
Heeter, who led the development of the two papers, said she received "a lot of positive feedback from utilities on our work tracking trends in the voluntary market."
NREL Report: Innovations in Voluntary Renewable Energy Procurement: Methods for Expanding Access and Lowering Cost for Communities, Governments, and Businesses
Authors: Jenny Heeter and Joyce McLaren, NREL
NREL Report: Status of the Voluntary Renewable Energy Certificate Market
(2011 Data)
Authors: Jenny Heeter, Philip Armstrong, and Lori Bird, NREL
Recent Publications
JISEA Report: Integrating Wind and Solar Energy in the U.S. Bulk Power System: Lessons from Regional Integration Studies
Authors: Lori Bird and Debra Lew, NREL
This paper identifies key insights from two regional studies for integrating high penetrations of renewables: The Eastern Wind Integration and Transmission Study (EWITS) and The Western Wind and Solar Integration Study (WWSIS).
Presentation: Impacts of Renewable Generation on Fossil Fuel Unit Cycling: Costs and Emissions
Author: Gregory Brinkman, NREL
Prepared for the Clean Energy Regulatory Forum III, this presentation looks at the Western Wind and Solar Integration Study and reexamines the cost and emissions impacts of fossil fuel unit cycling.
Presentation: Estimate of the Geothermal Energy Resource in the Major Sedimentary Basins in the United States
Authors: Ariel Esposito, Chad Augustine, Colleen Porro, and Billy Roberts, NREL
This study estimates the magnitude of recoverable geothermal energy from 15 major known U.S. sedimentary basins and ranks these basins relative to their potential.
Presentation: Impacts from Deployment Barriers on the United States Wind Power Industry: Overview & Preliminary Findings
Authors: Eric Lantz, Suzanne Tegen, Maureen Hand, and Donna Heimiller, NREL
This presentation details preliminary results from new NREL analysis focused on quantifying the impact of deployment barriers on the wind resource of the United States, the installed cost of wind projects, and the total electric power system cost of a 20% wind energy future.
NREL Report: Renewable Energy Finance Tracking Initiative (REFTI): Snapshot of Recent Geothermal Financing Terms, Fourth Quarter 2009 – Second Half 2011
Authors: Travis Lowder, Ryan Hubbell, Michael Mendelsohn, and Karlynn Cory, NREL
This report is a review of geothermal project financial terms as reported in NREL's Renewable Energy Finance Tracking Initiative (REFTI).
NREL Report: Renewable Energy Finance Tracking Initiative (REFTI) Solar Trend Analysis
Authors: Ryan Hubbell, Travis Lowder, Michael Mendelsohn, and Karlynn Cory, NREL
This report is a summary of the finance trends for small-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) projects (PV <1 MW), large-scale PV projects (PV ≥1 MW), and concentrated solar power projects as reported in NREL's Renewable Energy Finance Tracking Initiative (REFTI).
This fact sheet summarizes a study completed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and NREL that quantifies the annual impact on county-level personal income resulting from wind power installations in nearly 130 counties across 12 states.
For monthly updates regarding NREL analysis publications, subscribe to our newsletter.
