ACORE Releases Industry Insights on Corporate Renewable Energy Procurement

Authored by industry leaders, the report offers insights to simplify corporate renewable procurement processes and provide realistic options for players across the economy.

Washington, D.C. – The American Council On Renewable Energy (ACORE) released a new resource for companies interested in procuring renewable energy in the United States. A comprehensive collection of industry insights about contracting, policy, financing, technology, and legal considerations, the report is authored by members of ACORE’s Corporate Procurement Working Group and is available for download here.

“Our Corporate Procurement Working Group represents many of the nation’s most experienced experts on energy sustainability, and this report is authored by a group of business leaders who understand the positive link between energy, environmental best practices and protecting the company’s bottom line,” said Gregory Wetstone, President and CEO of ACORE. “We hope this report is helpful to renewable energy investors, developers and leading companies seeking to green their energy supply and help promote the transition to renewable energy.”

The report features case studies on a number of notable topics facing energy procurement teams in companies across the U.S. today, and offers guidance for new market entrants to make the process less intimidating while explaining new models and providing industry insights. Key topics include:

  • Structuring and Financing Considerations for Corporate Renewable PPAs
  • Procurement Options: RECs vs PPAs
  • Implications of the Clean Power Plan for Corporate Renewables Procurement: Strategies to Achieve Additionality
  • How Smart Grid Deployment Can Facilitate Renewables Procurement by Commercial and Industrial Customers
  • Innovative Structures to Maximize Off-Site Solar Adoption

With a section on the impact of C&I purchasing on the U.S. wind energy markets, EDF Renewable Energy brought a developer’s perspective to the report:

“The rise of direct power purchases by corporate players has added a growing component to our business as project developers,” said Jacob Susman, VP for Origination at EDF Renewable Energy. “We are happy to be able to work with leading companies to take corporate responsibility to the next level through real, meaningful investments in renewable energy.”

IBM, recognized for its 15 year commitment to increasing its procurement of renewable electricity and for its cloud computing and technology solutions, also contributed to ACORE’s report with a section on the potential for analytic and cognitive grid management products to enable C&I customers’ procurement of renewables:

“Technology is taking on an even greater role in today’s energy markets,” said Jay Dietrich, an IBM Distinguished Engineer for Energy and Climate Stewardship. “Whether a company is procuring power on a contract basis, or actually investing in their own generation assets, these customers have a new opportunity to benefit from grid management tools and advanced analytics to maximize the benefits of renewable energy while ensuring the delivery of reliable power to a company’s facilities.”

Contributing a section on off-site solar adoption, WGL Energy Services and Systems (WGL Energy), a provider of renewable and other energy solutions, highlighted the opportunity for energy companies to meet corporate demand:

“Looking at the energy landscape today, we see many of the same factors that shape the economy as a whole – competition for resources, technology, increasing expectations – also affecting the energy business,” said Richard Walsh, Program Lead for Clean Energy Solutions at WGL Energy. “As companies explore options for integrating new energy solutions into their portfolios, the insights in this report can be very helpful in guiding their planning process.”

Authors of the report include: Apex Clean Energy; Covington & Burling LLP; EDF Renewable Energy; Green Strategies; IBM; Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP; Morrison & Foerster LLP; Orrick; Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP; PricewaterhouseCoopers; Renewable Choice Energy; RES Americas; Rushton Atlantic; Sterling Planet; and WGL Energy.

Leveraging ACORE’s 15 years of leadership on renewable energy policy, finance, and market development, the Corporate Procurement Working Group taps the organization’s extensive network of leading renewable financiers, developers, power generators, and corporate consumers of renewable energy to facilitate the procurement and integration of renewable energy into the power generation portfolios of leading American companies. More information is available online: https://acore.org/programs/member-initiatives/power-generation/corporate-procurement-working-group

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About ACORE:
ACORE is a national non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the renewable energy sector through market development, policy changes, and financial innovation. With a savvy staff of experts, fifteen years of experience promoting renewable energy and hundreds of member companies from across the spectrum of renewable energy technologies, consumers, and investors, ACORE is uniquely well-positioned to strategically promote the policies and financial structures essential to renewable energy growth. The organization’s annual conferences in Washington, D.C., New York and San Francisco set the industry standard in providing important venues for key leaders to meet, discuss recent developments, and hear the latest from senior government officials and seasoned experts. Additional information is available at: www.acore.org

ACORE Media Contact:
Kevin Haley, ACORE
haley@acore.org;
(202) 777-7584