Power Purchase Agreements

Purchasing local solar power is a win-win for cities

March 14, 2019

The back story of Philadelphia's plan to build a 70-megawatt plant that will power up to 22 percent of its municipal government.

How Bloomberg, Cox, Gap Inc., Salesforce and Workday combined clout to buy clean power

January 17, 2019

By Heather Clancy

The deal, facilitated by LevelTen Energy and BayWa, came together after about a year of negotiations.

Clean Energy Deal Tracker: ExxonMobil, Facebook headline a record-breaking fourth quarter

January 17, 2019

By Heather Clancy

Plus, Cargill and the city of Philadelphia jump in with notable contracts.

Microsoft has figured out a way to reduce risks associated with PPAs

October 16, 2018

By Heather Clancy

A new sort of contract known a volume firming agreement could insulate corporate buyers from weather-related hiccups and the intermittent nature of solar and wind power production.

Transaction advisor fees: Is the success fee model working for our industry?

March 27, 2018

By Kourtney Nelson

Sponsored: How much should advisors charge for navigating the RE procurement process?

RECs help small companies enter the renewables market

November 21, 2017

By Nikki Springer

Because few companies can generate their own energy onsite, nonprofit SR Inc developed "aggregated procurement"contracts as an attractive alternative.

Akamai's Texas wind PPA ups the renewable energy ante

October 26, 2017

By Ali Rotatori and Roberto Zanchi

The midsize American cloud-delivery platform sets an example for how small electricity buyers can grow the renewables market.

Corporate renewable energy buyers remain undeterred

September 19, 2017

By Paul Carp

The vast majority of corporate energy purchasers plans to pick up the pace on renewables in the decade ahead, according to research by GreenBiz and Apex Clean Energy.

Microsoft

Microsoft on the value of power purchase agreements

July 19, 2017

WithBrian Janous

The energy market has changed dramatically since Microsoft signed its first power purchase agreement (PPA) in 2012, according to Brian Janous, the tech company's director of energy strategy.

Back then, the idea of signing a 20-year PPA was novel, but now there is a massive uptick in companies participating in energy agreements. However, the risks of market fluctuation and falling prices are all material to designing electricity markets in the future.

"More companies are signing a shorter PPA," said Janous. "These things are not a free lunch."

Could EVs put the brakes on the utility 'death spiral'?

April 18, 2017

By Suzanne Shelton

The industry could drive entirely new revenue streams and business models by investing in charging stations. Too expensive? Think of it as a branding exercise.