Renewable Energy In The Us: Policy, Investment, Capacity, Growth And Outlook At Reportsandreports

Dallas, TX: ReportsandReports announce Renewable Energy in the US: Policy

, Investment, Capacity, Growth and Outlook Market Research Report in its Store.

Browse complete Report at http://www.reportsandreports.com/market-reports/renewable-energy-in-the-us-policy-investment-capacity-growth-/

Following more than a year of global financial crisis and economic downturn, the growth and expansion of the US renewable power industry is testament to the inherent attractiveness and resilience of the sector. Renewables will continue to be the bright spot of the US economy in 2010, given that the drivers that propelled the sector for the past five years are still at work.

Scope

Data and analysis of installed capacities and generation across all sources of renewable energies in the US, at a national level and by state.

A detailed identification of the key drivers and barriers shaping these markets, and the likely growth potential of each renewable technology.

A detailed examination of new technology introductions and innovations, and future areas of opportunity for manufacturers and power providers.

Up to date competitive intelligence on key players operating across all renewable energy technologies, nascent and established, across the US.

Highlights

The economic and financial crisis should have dealt a devastating blow to the renewables industry. Private investment in 2009 declined dramatically but was buttressed by record levels of public funds. These must now play a catalytic role in supporting capital market solutions to permanently secure the financing options needed by the industry.

The market is almost nearly entirely supported by public policy. The vast and growing number and types of government, utility and non-profit financial incentives for renewable energy and energy efficiency in the US help explain growth levels in these markets. Production tax credits and renewable portfolio standards are key market drivers.

Not all renewable energy technologies are equal or offer the same growth prospects in the US. Solar is likely to live in the shadow of wind energy for several years to come, while hydropower, biomass and geothermal make modest inroads into the wider US energy market. The outlook for nascent wave and tidal energy markets will gradually improve.

Reasons to Purchase

Determine how different elements of US legislation and market trends are influencing the development of all renewable energy markets.

Assess how the renewable energy capacity mix will evolve, what the key opportunities will be and which states offer the greatest potential and why.

Understand how renewable energy asset strategies are likely to evolve and how and where your company should interact with renewables in the US.

Table Of contents

Overview 1

Catalyst 1

Executive summary 1

Methodology 1

Sources 1

Table of Contents 4

Table of figures 5

US power market and related political developments 6

Power landscape 6

Weak economic activity and reduced demand for cooling led to a 0.9% decrease in power demand in 2008 versus a 2.3% increase in 2007 6

Power generation in the US is currently dominated by coal-burn, even though the installed capacity of gas generation is greater than coal 7

2008 US power generation snapshot: conventional generation is dominated by coal, natural gas and nuclear power generation 8

Renewable power overview 9

Renewable energy generation output since 1996 is characterized by a decline in hydro output, offset by sustained increases in wind 9

2008 US power generation snapshot: growth of renewable power generation is driven mainly by wind power 10

Growth in wind power generation has outpaced that of all other forms of generation, albeit from a very low initial installed base 11

Gas installed capacity in the US is greater than coal, yet coal power generation is much larger than gas power generation 11

Utility power plants account for the majority of electric installed capacity in the US 13

Power generation in 2008: 13

Net capacity additions of wind power in the US are outstripping net additions of gas capacity 14

Coal, petroleum and nuclear installed capacities have declined since 1997; renewables, gas, and other sources make up the total net addition 15

The US is a global leader in wind, biomass and geothermal power installed capacity and ranks first for new capacity investments 16

Despite the economic downturn in 2008, the average retail price for all US customers increased in 47 out of the 50 states 18

Despite decreases in retail power volumes in 2008, revenues actually increased, driven by higher power prices 19

Fossil fuel prices showed significant volatility during 2008, which contributed to an increase in average retail electricity prices 20

Estimated US power plant emissions were down in 2008, due to decreased fuel consumption 21

Drivers of renewable power 22

Growth in renewable energy generation in the US is spurred on by a range of federal, state-based and local incentives 22

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act 22

Renewable energy and energy efficiency investments in the US are underpinned by a wide range of sub-national financial incentives 23

Renewable energy and energy efficiency investments in the US are underpinned by a wide range of state climate regulations 24

The production tax credit is often considered as the main driver of renewable power generation growth in the US over the past decade 25

Renewable portfolio standards have been most successful at stimulating new renewables when deployed alongside the PTC 26

Public support for action on climate change is variable but an overall upwards trend has emerged over the last decade 28

Resilient venture capital levels are a strong growth driver for the wider cleantech industry 28

The US American Power Act presents significant incentives for companies operating across the renewable energy value chain 30

In stark contrast to the previous administration, the new Democrat administration has placed green at the heart of its political agenda 31

The US has embarked on a program to develop renewable energy projects in the waters of the Outer Continental Shelf 32

Resistors of renewable power 33

Forces driving the current growth of the US renewables industry are being met by sizable opposing forces 33

Failure to price CO2 emissions 33

Licensing and environmental issues also present significant barriers to the uptake of renewable energy technologies 34

Licensing and permitting issues 34

Environmental issues 34

Renewable generation in the US has thus far been punctuated by 'stop-start' investment under the PTC 34

Investment in US renewables remain contingent on federal PTC policy continuity 36

Ensuring renewable energy access to existing and new transmission infrastructure is another imperative in the US 36

Ensuring renewable energy access to existing and new transmission infrastructure is another imperative in the US 37

The 2009 economic and financial crisis should have dealt a devastating blow to the US renewables industry 39

Despite the economic and financial crisis, renewable investment dipped only slightly, supported by massive public spending 39

US wind power market 41

Current scenario 41

The US wind energy market installed nearly 10GW in 2009, maintaining its global leadership in installed capacity 41

Global wind power has been very resilient in the face of the global recession and financial crisis, but the future is less certain 42

Wind farm projects, both new build and M&A, are front-loaded and capital intensive 43

Project lifetimes, coupled with discount rates, have a significant influence over the annual costs of wind power generation 44

The cost of capital, reflected in the discount or interest rate, has a high degree of influence on wind turbine development costs 45

The 2009 economic and financial crisis presented a significant challenge for the US wind industry 46

The US wind industry boom continued during 2009 despite the economic and financial crisis, supported by vast public spending 47

The world's wind industry defied the economic downturn and saw its power capacity increase by close to one third in 2009 48

Texas, once known as an oil and gas-producing state, has become the nation's top producer of wind energy 49

GE Energy is the largest turbine supplier, NextEra the largest overall wind owner and Xcel Energy the largest utility wind owner 50

Drivers of the wind power market 51

The factors that drive the development of the US renewables energy industry also drive the uptake of wind power energy 51

Over the last 20 years, the cost of wind turbines has fallen dramatically while their efficiency has improved significantly 53

From a meteorological perspective, US wind power potential is tremendous and is greatest in the Great Plains region 54

Resistors of the wind power market 56

Forces driving the current growth of wind power in the US are being met by significant opposing forces 56

Failure to price CO2 emissions 56

Environmental issues and policy limitations also act as a barrier for the growing wind power industry in the US 57

Environmental issues 57

Policy limitations 57

Transmission constraints-planning, paying and permitting-form one of the most sizable barriers facing the US wind industry 57

Outlook for the wind power market 58

The outlook for wind energy in the US is cautiously optimistic despite possible manufacturing and project bottlenecks 58

Wind energy will continue to be a bright spot of the US economy in 2010 but public finance must power private capital investment 59

US solar power market 60

Current scenario 60

The solar industry relies on two different forms of technology to convert sunlight into electricity 60

Long derided as uneconomic, the nascent solar PV market is gaining significant ground thanks to its strong green credentials 61

Following phenomenal growth in 2008, 2009 was a year of more modest growth for the global solar PV power market 62

The US solar industry maintained its impressive growth rate in 2009 despite slowdown in the housing and construction sectors 63

In 2009, California retained its leading position as the US state with the highest level of installed solar PV capacity 64

Throughout the years US solar energy consumption was almost exclusively used for residential energy purposes 65

The number of US firms involved in the solar energy supply chain has steadily risen and is projected to grow further 66

Although solar export markets are growing, the US home solar sector is losing market share to manufacturers from abroad 67

US utilities are beginning to expand their asset base in the solar energy market 67

In the US, First Solar is the top PV manufacturer and crystalline silicon is the most widespread form of PV technology 69

PV deployment will not be limited by suitable land area availability; CSP, however, has the most opportunity in the Southwest 70

The PV market is divided into four market sectors on the demand side 71

Solar manufacturers, rather than established energy companies, are exploiting opportunities presented by the fast-expanding market 72

With new companies and fresh markets wrestling for prominence, strong industry consolidation and vertical integration are expected 73

For utilities, the horizontal integration of fixed-cost solar assets presents an unhedged yet comparatively safe business model 74

Utilities could quickly become the largest and one of the most important customers for the solar industry 75

Solar will increasingly form part of utilities' horizontally integrated renewable operations, with upstream benefits but barriers downstream 76

Drivers of the solar power market 76

Much like other renewable energy sectors, the US solar energy sector is supported by federal legislation 76

State level grants and incentives are the primary driver for continued growth of the solar energy market in the US 77

Other economic and financial benefits also attract growing numbers of private investors 77

Resistors of the solar power market 78

Several economic barriers may hamper further solar energy growth 78

Solar power is still comparatively expensive and, for the moment, remains more expensive than most competing technologies 79

For solar power generation, true grid parity depends upon the evolution of solar power costs, carbon costs and power prices 80

Outlook for the solar power market 81

Having developed at a rapid pace, solar now faces key challenges, many of which will be offset by even larger opportunities 81

Growth of the US solar market is on the cusp of step change 82

US hydro power market 84

Current scenario 84

Hydropower is a clean and renewable energy source, but it is not without problems 84

Hydropower capacity in the US remained constant between 2000 and 2008 85

Total installed hydro power capacity in the US is second only to China, but Canada and Brazil are quickly catching up 86

US West Coast states lead in terms of installed conventional hydroelectric capacity 87

Renewable energies in the US are growing but conventional hydro capacity has remained flat 88

Renewable energies and natural gas are racing to fill the generation gap as coal recedes, but hydropower remains flat 89

Total net power generation in the US in January 2010 was slightly higher than in January 2009 90

Monthly net generation from hydro power fell significantly on the West Coast in January 2010 91

Despite having the world's second largest hydropower asset base, the US only ranks fourth in terms of hydroelectric consumption, trailing China, Canada and Brazil 92

Utilities, independent power producers and industrial self-generators are the three key hydropower generators in the US 93

Drivers of the hydro power market 94

Existing hydropower has low operating costs and new hydropower is among the least expensive forms of low-carbon electricity 94

Legislation as well as licensing and financing rules are changing the hydropower landscape in the US 95

Energy Policy Act of 2005 95

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act 2009 96

Resistors of the hydro power market 97

The obstacles to the further development and deployment of hydropower are significant 97

Outlook for the hydro power market 98

The nature of global hydropower is changing 98

Growth opportunities for the US hydropower industry are the best they have been for the past three decades 98

US geothermal power market 100

Current scenario 100

Geothermal energy is a clean, renewable and limitless source of energy supply 100

Four types of geothermal power plants are currently in operation for commercial use 102

A variety of technologies have emerged to adapt geothermal energy plants to specific geological conditions 103

Following eight years of stagnation, installed geothermal capacity in the US has recently risen 104

Electricity net generation from geothermal energy has remained stable in relation to other renewable energies 105

The geothermal energy sector is dominated by independent power producers that have specialist knowledge and skills 106

The US holds a world leading position in geothermal energy capacity 107

Geothermal heat is used in many different non-power generating applications across the US 108

Drivers of the geothermal power market 109

Geothermal capital costs can be among the lowest of all forms of renewable power generation 109

State renewable standards coupled to federal stimulus and tax incentives will stimulate growth in the geothermal power industry 110

Resistors of the geothermal power market 111

Barriers to the expansion of the geothermal industry can be of a financial, geological or environmental nature 111

Outlook for the geothermal power market 112

Geothermal power opportunities may exist in regions and applications thus far largely underexploited by the industry 112

Geothermal resources have the potential to play a much more significant role in the US' energy mix 114

Environmental benefits and technological progress could pave the way for increasing geothermal energy production 114

US biomass power market 116

Current scenario 116

Biomass power generation is derived from a variety of organic fuels 116

In the US, waste-to-energy combustion and landfill gas are by-products of the municipal solid waste industry 117

Biomass power generation systems include direct and co-firing plants as well as gasification and pyrolysis processes 117

Biomass power generation often capitalizes on the anaerobic digestion of waste and the modularization of systems 118

Bioenergy accounts for roughly 9.5% of the total renewable capacity and around 1.1% of the overall capacity in the US 119

Biomass is a major source of energy in emerging economies, but biogas is predominantly used in developed countries 121

California, Florida, Maine and Virginia lead the way in terms of installed biomass power capacity in the US 122

Co-firing of biomass and coal is used across the US although the highest potential lies on the east coast 123

US net power generation from biomass energy has remained relatively stable over recent years 124

Drivers of the biomass power market 126

Vast and varied biomass resources exist across the US 126

Resistors of the biomass power market 127

Supply chain technologies and comparative economics act as the main barriers to greater biomass utilization 127

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by: Ms.Sunita

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