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Wave energy is one of the most concentrated ocean renewable energy resources. Although wave energy has been studied extensively for more than four decades, there is no large commercial installation for wave energy production or a consensus framework on how to exploit this resource. Wave energy is a complex resource that directly depends on two meteorological parameters, which produced significant fluctuations of wave energy in both temporal and spatial criteria. This paper presents a new concept called Energy Event, to analyze meteorological data generated by WaveWatch III over 36 years in the U.S. to characterize and assess wave energy behavior using the peak-over-threshold methodology. This methodology used extreme statistics, segmented the wave energy with different thresholds, and assessed wave energy production on a temporal and spatial framework. Three areas were studied in this paper, including the Gulf of Mexico, the East and West U.S. Coasts. The results indicated that wave energy behaved as a two-state energy system with each state having independent characteristics. The main difference among the three studied areas was the constant baseline of wave power density, with the West Coast having the highest constant baseline and the Gulf of Mexico having the lowest baseline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable electricity generation technologies provide a more sustainable solution than the non-renewables. However, as a complete system, renewable energy generation systems have some overall environmental impacts on humankind, resources and ecosystems. This paper will address the environmental effects caused by different types of renewable plants through life-cycle assessment. A comparative study is done among solar PV, biomass, and pumped storage hydropower plants in the United States. Life-cycle impact analysis has been carried out by the Eco-indicator 99, TRACI (Tool for the Reduction and Assessment of Chemical and other Environmental Impacts), CED (Cumulative Energy Demand), Ecopoints 97, RMF (Raw Material Flows) and IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) methods, using the SimaPro software. The impacts are considered in 10 mid-point impact categories and three end-point indicators. The results show that pumped storage hydropower plants have the highest impact on human health (7.74E-05/kWh) and the ecosystem (3.35E-06/kWh), whereas biomass plants have the maximum effect on resources (4.79E-07/kWh). Overall, the solar PV plants are found to be much more environment-friendly than other renewable electricity generation systems. These findings will guide investors in installing sustainable and clean power plants. • Comparative environmental impacts of solar-PV, biomass and pumped storage hydropower plants was investigated. • Impacts are assessed by a systematic LCA analysis using the ecoinvent database and SimaPro software. • Solar-PV plants are found least hazardous to environment than other renewable energy plants in the United States. • Findings will guide the investors in installing the best renewable power plant considering the environmental aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decarbonization goals in the United States electricity sector are increasing the levels of renewable energy generation in the electricity supply system, and are driving increased attention to building electrification, which will increase the magnitude and shift the timing of the electricity system peak. These changes are motivating new approaches to coordinate building electricity demand with low-carbon renewable generation, elevating the importance of demand flexibility (DF) in buildings and the need to quantify the temporal impacts of DF. In this paper, we first characterize the hourly predictive accuracy of six commonly used baseline models in an application context of quantifying building-level load shift. Our analysis revealed insights such as hours of the day (afternoons), periods of the week (weekends), and seasons (summer) that were predicted with more accuracy than other time periods. In addition, the analysis showed tendencies toward overprediction or underprediction of load. Secondly, we provide the first published investigation of baseline erosion from repeated dispatch of building load shifting. We observed that as the baseline period is pushed back further from the prediction day, the distribution of errors across baseline model predictions increases, with notable inflection points near the three-week erosion point for two of the three models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The economic viability of new energy technologies is held as a central tenet to their future deployment; conventional wisdom posits economically rational decision-makers will readily invest in proven low-risk and affordable technologies. But what happens when this is not true. This paper examines the non-financial barriers facing economically viable Combined Heat and Power (CHP) projects. CHP is a mature and lower carbon technology that efficiently uses waste heat from thermal electricity generation; CHP can also provide flexibility services to help integrate variable renewable resources. CHP is low risk and many industrialized countries, particularly those in colder climates in Northern Europe and Russia, generate as much as 50% of their electricity and heat needs from CHP, but United States deployment remains low and investment hurdle rates high. While lower U.S. energy costs make some projects un-economic, many economically-viable CHP projects are stalled or killed by non-financial barriers. To better understand why financially viable CHP projects are not getting built, developers, owners and operators, regulators, and other stakeholders of this technology were interviewed and three major barriers emerged a) the business model of the electrical utility b) negative subjective impressions and c) challenges in allocating the risks and benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Two-thirds of input energy for electricity generation in the USA is lost as heat during conversion processes. Additionally, 12.5% of primary fuel and 20.3% of electricity are employed for space heating, water heating, and refrigeration where low-grade heat could suffice. The potential for harnessing waste heat from power generation and thermal processes to perform such tasks is assessed. By matching power plant outlet streams with applications at corresponding temperature ranges, sufficient waste heat is identified to satisfy all USA space and water heating needs. Sufficient high temperature exhaust from power plants is identified to satisfy 27% of residential air conditioning with thermally activated refrigeration, or all industrial refrigeration and process heating from 100 to 150 °C. Engine coolant and exhaust is sufficient to satisfy all air conditioning and 68% of electrical demands in vehicles. Overall, this study demonstrates the potential to reduce USA primary energy demand by 12% and CO2 emissions by 13% through waste heat recovery. A detailed analysis of thermal energy demand in pulp and paper manufacturing is conducted to demonstrate the methodology for improving the fidelity of this approach. These results can inform infrastructure and development to capture heat that would be lost today, substantially reducing USA energy intensity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

With the development of demand response (DR) technologies and increasing electricity demand, dynamic pricing has been a popular topic in many countries. This paper evaluates various dynamic pricing programs in the U.S. and Europe, and provides insights into various aspects including risks and rewards, enabling technologies, lower-income groups and customer types surrounding programs such as Time-of-Use (TOU), Critical Peak Pricing (CPP), Peak Time Rebates (PTR) and Real Time Pricing (RTP). We conclude this paper with three main findings: (1) policy coordination in promoting dynamic pricing programs between federal and state regulatory agencies is very critical; (2) customer engagement is very important and can be enhanced via more accessible educational programs and policy adjustments; and (3) more investment in related R&D is required to construct a commonly accepted methodology for measuring the effectiveness of dynamic pricing programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper presents high renewable electricity penetration scenarios in the United States using detailed capacity expansion modeling that is designed to properly account for the variability and uncertainty of wind and solar resources. The scenarios focus solely on the electricity system, an important sector within the larger energy sector, and demonstrate long-term visions of a U.S. power system where renewable technologies, including biomass, geothermal, hydropower, solar, and wind, contribute 80% of 2050 annual electricity, including 49–55% from wind and solar photovoltaic generation. We present the integration challenges of achieving this high penetration and characterize the options to increase grid flexibility to manage variability. Four high renewable pathways are modeled and demonstrate the robustness and diversity of renewable options. We estimate 69–82% annual greenhouse gas emission reductions and 3%–30% incremental electricity price increases associated with reaching 80%-by-2050 renewable electricity relative to reference scenarios. This paper affirms and strengthens similar analysis from the Renewable Electricity Futures study by using an improved model and updated data to better reflect investment and dispatch decisions under current outlooks for the U.S. electricity sector. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The performance of Calpine''s Geysers steam field from startup in 1960 to 2008 is described in this paper. Since October 2003, Calpine has received approximately 482L/s of tertiary-treated reclaimed water from the City of Santa Rosa. To accommodate and derive benefit from this water, Calpine has converted 20 wells (ten producers, six shut-in, two observation, and two suspended wells) to high-rate injection service. Additional nine wells were also converted to low-rate injectors that receive 12.6L/s or less. Annual recovery factors (i.e., fieldwide increase in annual steam production divided by annual injection) for the first 5 years of Santa Rosa Geysers Recharge Project (SRGRP) operation have been estimated at 17.6%, 26.1%, 37.1%, 39% and 44.6%, respectively; reasonably close to or slightly higher than the values, predicted prior to SRGRP startup. Using a revised definition that includes the amount of un-boiled water in the reservoir, the annual recovery factors turn out to be 17.6%, 16.1%, 14.6%, 12.4% and 12.2% from year one through year five. Improvements in the wellfield, water injection, and power plant modifications from January 1995 through December 2008 are also discussed in this paper. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Wind-generated electricity is a growing renewable energy resource. Because wind results from the uneven heating (and resulting pressure gradients) of the Earth, future wind resources may be affected by anticipated climate change. Many studies have used global and regional climate models to predict trends in the future wind resource over the continental United States. While some of these studies identified regions that are expected to gain wind energy, their results often come with a high degree of uncertainty, and lack of agreement across different climate models. In this paper we focus on wind energy density as a measure of the available wind resource over the continental United States. We estimate the change in wind energy density from the period 1968–2000 to the period 2038–2070 by using output from four regional climate models from the North American Regional Climate Change Assessment Program (NARCCAP). We find strong agreement across all 4 models that the wind energy resource is expected to increase in parts of Kansas, Oklahoma, and northern Texas – a region already in possession of both large scale generating capacity and political support for wind energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a framework for pricing the climate resilience of an energy infrastructure project through assessing the value of its required debt and equity investments. Integrating climate scenarios into an asset valuation model provides useful and specific insights for risk management, but there is a lack of academic and market tools that effectively address this need. The critical barrier is that climate-related risks (physical and transition) are typically indirect variables in the cash flow calculation, and they should be computed based on the direct variables such as revenue, capital expenditures, operating expenses, and financing costs. The implementation of this framework shows how to delineate climate-related risks that are asset-specific and transforms them into financial risks. Using cash flow simulation and scenario analysis, it estimates an energy infrastructure asset's probability of default due to climate-related risks and the size and timing of the losses for any given default. To demonstrate the framework's application, we simulate the price climate-related risks of a utility-scale electricity generation facility powered by natural gas. • The analysis focuses on climate-related financial risk assessment of infrastructure assets. • An asset-level and forward-looking climate risk assessment framework is developed. • It tests single or combined climate risk scenarios on conventional financial metrics. • A case study on a natural gas power plant in the United States is demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In the United States, electricity consumers are told that they can “buy” electricity from renewable energy projects, versus fossil fuel-fired facilities, through participation in voluntary green power markets. The marketing messages communicate to consumers that they are causing additional renewable energy generation and reducing emissions through their participation and premium payments for a green label. Using a spatial financial model and a database of registered Green-e wind power facilities, the analysis in this paper shows that the voluntary Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) market has a negligible influence on the economic feasibility of these facilities. Nevertheless, voluntary green power marketers at least implicitly claim that buying their products creates additional renewable energy. This study indicates the contrary. Participants in U.S. voluntary green power markets associated with wind power, therefore, appear to be receiving misleading marketing messages regarding the effect of their participation. In the process of completing this analysis, a potentially relevant factor in explaining investor behavior was identified: the potential for the overlap of voluntary REC markets with compliance REC markets that supply utilities need to meet their obligations of Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (RPS). The majority of state RPS rules allow for regional or even national sourcing of RECs, meaning that projects are generally eligible to provide compliance RECs to utilities not only in their home states, but in several other states. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Renewable energy resources have historically played a small role for electricity generation in the US. However, concerns such as security of energy supply, limitations and price fluctuations of fossil fuels, and threats of climate changes have encouraged US policy makers to think and debate about diversification strategy in the energy supply and promotion of renewables. The current paper discusses the role of renewable portfolio in the US energy action plan during 2010–2030. A system dynamics model is constructed to evaluate different costs of renewable energy utilization by 2030. Results show that while renewables will create a market with near 10 billion $ worth (in the costs level) in 2030, the total value of renewable energy promotion and utilization in the US will be more than 170 billion $(in the costs level) during 2010–2030. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Any pathway to a net-zero-carbon energy system in the United States will require a staggering build-out of infrastructure for electricity generation and transmission, zero-carbon fuels, and carbon sequestration. To date, however, there has been hardly any conversation among policy analysts, let alone high-level policymakers, about how such a massive infrastructure initiative should be undertaken. We have abundant evidence that our existing system for electricity infrastructure expansion is slow, inefficient, and expensive. In a spring 2021 workshop, the Niskanen Center and the Clean Air Task Force convened a group of practitioners, advocates, and academics to consider how the nation can achieve such an unprecedented infrastructure build-out, using electricity transmission as a case study. This paper summarizes some key themes and policy ideas from that workshop. A central framing concept is that policy for transmission infrastructure is traditionally structured around the three "Ps": planning, permitting, and paying. One important step forward would be to incorporate two additional Ps in policy design: participation (to include the perspectives and needs of the full range of stakeholders, especially local communities) and process (to provide a standard framework to spur project development and investment with clear expectations and accountability mechanisms). There was also broad support for the idea that a national transmission plan is needed to establish a clear set of goals and metrics across the many entities involved in moving electricity. From this foundation (3+2 "Ps" and a national plan) we describe a range of policy elements, then present two sample policy models for consideration, one emphasizing private enterprise and the other public initiative. While the objectives of the two sample initiatives are consistent, such as addressing conflicts in siting and permitting, they differ in the extent of federal authority that would be invoked. The problem of marshaling political support was beyond the scope of our discussion but must inform future development of the policy framework. • Transmission development needs a fundamental rebalancing of authority. • Attention to the role of public initiative and private enterprise is crucial. • Any policy solution must address community participation and establish a repeatable process. • A national transmission plan is a minimum requirement for facing the decarbonization challenge. • A National Transmission Organization versus a strengthened and expedited role of private investment should be debated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Wind energy development is booming worldwide with Germany and the United States being forerunners in installed capacity. Based on a review of relevant laws and regulations, policy, siting, and permitting documents, academic literature, and expert interviews, the paper compares the permit and environmental impact assessment (IA) policies and regulations pertaining to wind energy projects in both countries. The focus is on the potential of IAs in supporting an environmentally conscious development of wind power generation. This includes the analysis of IA regulations on the project level, strategic level impact assessment and planning processes, opportunities for public involvement and transparency of processes, and the clarity and predictability of the IA provisions. The findings suggest certain variations between both countries'' permit and IA processes for wind energy projects and further research needs, inter alia on the actual effects of strategic assessment of wind development on subsequent permitting. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper considers some of the impacts of adopting hydrogen fuel cell powered electric automobiles in the US. The change will need significant adjustments to the electrical generation industry including additional capital and hydrocarbon fuel consumption as well as impacting anthropogenic greenhouse emissions. Examining the use of three fuels to generate hydrogen fuels, using three production methods, distributed in three geographic scenarios, we determine that while the change reduces anthropogenic greenhouse emissions with minimal additional electrical generation capital expenditures, it accelerates the use of natural gas. Electrolysis provides a sustainable, longer-term solution, but requires more capital investment in electrical generation and yields an increase in anthropogenic greenhouse emissions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) are often portrayed as “green,” implying negligible greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. While BEVs are zero emission vehicles, the electrical power generators used to recharge vehicle batteries do emit copious GHGs. Some analysts have estimated the power plant GHG emissions due to charging EV batteries using the average electrical generator grid mix for a given region. However, the GHG protocol specifies that analysts should use the marginal grid mixes to accurately calculate GHG emissions from adding EVs to the vehicle fleet. This paper utilizes the marginal grid mixes for each electrical power region in the US, and calculates the vehicle-weighted average GHG emissions for the entire country. These calculations demonstrate that, on the average, each BEV that displaces a gasoline hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) will increase GHGs by more than 7% and each PHEV put in service will increase GHGs by an average of 10% compared to a gasoline HEV. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper specifies and estimates state-level models of short- and long-term electricity demand in the United States. The short-term model predicts hourly load based on weather and calendar inputs. The long-term model estimates interannual demand, and includes population, prices, and gross state product as predictors. These models are combined to incorporate the short- and long-term trends in electricity consumption when generating forecasts of diurnal patterns into the future. Finally, the authors investigate the effects of short-run price elasticities of demand. The short-term model is shown to be within 95% accuracy of actual levels in out-of-sample tests. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Wind energy is one of the fastest growing sources of power generation in the world. While general public and political support for wind energy is often high, siting wind farms frequently raises concerns in local communities, and individual projects often fail because of effective public opposition. This paper presents the results of a postal and online survey questionnaire that explores public perceptions of wind energy in two of the most important states for wind development, Texas and Iowa. The goal is a better understanding of public reactions to large-scale wind developments as a prerequisite of more widespread use of renewable energy resources. We found a high level of public support for wind energy, with more than two-thirds of respondents being in favor of building more wind farms either in their community or within the U.S. as a whole. Given that the majority of respondents had a very high level of concern for the general environment, we also found that almost two-thirds of respondents counter-intuitively indicated that producing electricity using fossil fuels is not detrimental to the environment, and that they had little concern for global climate change. Our results suggest that arguing for more renewable sources of energy based on reducing our carbon footprint is less persuasive in these communities than simply approaching it from the perspective of wind being a clean and safe source of energy. More than two-thirds of respondents felt their county had benefited economically from the wind farms and that they were a source of job creation in the county. Support for wind power in these communities is associated far more with socioeconomic factors than foundational aesthetic or moral values, with wind farms perceived as the vehicle that will reverse economic decline. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Carbon taxes have largely been discussed as individual country measures (even if taken simultaneously) aimed to reduce carbon emissions, slow global warning, and internalizing the externalities associated with carbon generating activities, such as power generation. There has however been little emphasis on the incentives for subgroups of countries to jointly peruse carbon taxes. Yet for large importers of oil such as the US, the EU and China, their incentive is clearly to act together and have their taxes partly or wholly borne by oil exporters given this incentives. This paper discusses the potential for joint OECD (or non-OPEC) carbon taxes to reduce OPEC''s monopoly rent and provide benefits to non-OPEC countries provided jointly agreed trigger strategies are adhered to enforce mutual cooperation. To this end, we develop a multi-region general equilibrium structure with an endogenously determined oil supply by OPEC in which both emissions and energy prices are endogenously determined. Our results suggest that jointly enacted carbon taxes by the US, the EU and China can be heavily borne by oil exporters; they reduce the welfare of OPEC and increase the welfare of non-OPEC countries. These carbon taxes reduce global emissions, but the effect is small. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Biomass is expected to become an important energy source in U.S. electricity generation under state-lead renewable portfolio standards. This paper investigated the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for energy generated from forest resources through pyrolysis-based processing. The GHG emissions of producing pyrolysis bio-oil (pyrolysis oil) from different forest resources were first investigated; logging residues collected from natural regeneration mixed hardwood stands, hybrid poplar cultivated and harvested from abandoned agricultural lands, short rotation forestry (SRF) willow plantations and waste wood available at the site of the pyrolysis plant. Effects of biomass transportation were investigated through a range of distances to a central pyrolysis facility through road transport by semi-truck. Pyrolysis oil is assumed to be converted to electrical power through co-combustion in conventional fossil fuels power plants, gas turbine combined cycle (GTCC) and diesel generators. Life cycle GHG emissions were compared with power generated using fossil fuels and power generated using biomass direct combustion in a conventional Rankine power plant. Life cycle GHG savings of 77%–99% were estimated for power generation from pyrolysis oil combustion relative to fossil fuels combustion, depending on the biomass feedstock and combustion technologies used. Several scenario analyses were conducted to determine effects of pyrolysis oil transportation distance, N-fertilizer inputs to energy crop plantations, and assumed electricity mixes for pyrolysis oil production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The recent development of small scale combined heat and power (CHP) systems has provided the opportunity for in-house power backup of residential-scale photovoltaic (PV) arrays. This paper investigates the potential of deploying a distributed network of PV+CHP hybrid systems in order to increase the PV penetration level in the U.S. The temporal distribution of solar flux, electrical and heating requirements for representative U.S. single family residences were analyzed and the results clearly show that hybridizing CHP with PV can enable additional PV deployment above what is possible with a conventional centralized electric generation system. The technical evolution of such PV+CHP hybrid systems was developed from the present (near market) technology through four generations, which enable high utilization rates of both PV-generated electricity and CHP-generated heat. A method to determine the maximum percent of PV-generated electricity on the grid without energy storage was derived and applied to an example area. The results show that a PV+CHP hybrid system not only has the potential to radically reduce energy waste in the status quo electrical and heating systems, but it also enables the share of solar PV to be expanded by about a factor of five. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Since the turn of the 21st century, the onshore wind industry has seen significant growth due to the falling cost of wind generated electricity. This growth has coincided with an interest in the development of offshore wind farms. In Europe, governments and developers have begun establishing small to medium sized wind farms offshore to take advantage of stronger and more constant winds and the relative lack of landowner conflicts. In the U.S., several developers are in the planning and resource evaluation phases of offshore wind farm development, but no wind farms are currently operational or under construction. In this paper, we analyze the patterns of development in Europe and compare them to the U.S. We find significant differences in the patterns of development in Europe and the U.S. which may impact the viability of the industry in the U.S. We also discuss the policies used by European nations to stimulate offshore wind development and we discuss the potential impacts of similar policies in the U.S. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The debate over a large expansion of commercial nuclear energy for electricity production in the U.S., termed a “nuclear renaissance,” has most recently focused on the issues of spent nuclear fuel transportation and the closing of the once-through nuclear fuel cycle through the licensing, construction, and operation of the national spent nuclear fuel repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. While such a commercial nuclear energy expansion is postulated to have environmental, climate, resource utilization, and economic benefits, the fundamental issue for typical U.S. citizens about nuclear energy concerns the potential for exposure to ionizing radiation. Two generations of U.S. citizens have experienced public and media “education” that has heightened their primal fears of ionizing radiation from commercial nuclear energy. In such an environment, comparing the risks of radiation doses from commercial nuclear energy fuel cycle closure and further nuclear energy expansion with ionizing radiation population doses experienced year after year, decade after decade from non-nuclear (conventional) industries seems worthwhile for use in achieving stakeholder education and concurrence. The U.S. National Academy of Sciences (NAS) has recently performed its own landmark risk assessment of spent fuel transport in the U.S., demonstrating the guiding principles and methods for use in comparative risk assessments involving radiation dose considerations. Using the NAS assessment approach, this paper broadens its application to the full consideration of the risk of nuclear fuel cycle closure and renewal of the commercial nuclear energy alternative in the U.S., to evaluate the ionizing radiation dose risks of such expansion compared to those routinely accepted for non-nuclear industries by policy makers and the public. The 50-year collective dose risk from the total commercial nuclear fuel cycle, even if the U.S. triples its installed nuclear capacity, transports spent fuel to Yucca Mountain, and operates the Yucca Mountain repository as planned, is shown to be in the range of 3.1-million person-cSv; for five selected non-nuclear industries, the corresponding 50-year collective dose risk exceeds 1 billion person-cSv, a more than 300 times greater risk. A key step towards renewing the commercial nuclear energy alternative, then, is to use this knowledge for education of various stakeholder parties. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper argues that a variety of imperfections in wholesale “energy-only” electricity markets lead to generators earning net revenues that are inadequate to support investment in a least cost portfolio of generating capacity and to satisfy consumer preferences for reliability. Theoretical and numerical examples are used to illustrate the sources of this “missing money” problem. Improvements in “energy-only” wholesale electricity markets, especially those that improve pricing when capacity is fully utilized, can reduce the magnitude of the missing money problem. However, these improvements are unlikely to fully ameliorate it. Forward capacity obligations and associated auction mechanisms to determine capacity prices are necessary to restore appropriate wholesale market prices and associated investment incentives to support the optimal portfolio of generating investments. The deficiencies of the original capacity payment mechanisms adopted in the US are discussed and the necessary improvements identified. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: High expansion of power demand is expected in the Upper Rio Grande region of far west Texas as a result of both electrical demand growth and decommissioning of installed capacity. On the supply side, a notable deployment of renewable power technologies can be projected owing to the recent legislation of a new energy policy in Texas, which attempts to reach 10,000 installed MWe of renewable capacity for 2025. Power generation fueled by natural gas might consistently expand due to the encouraged use of this fuel. In this context, the array of participating technologies can be optimized within a sustainability framework, which translates into a multi-objective optimization problem. In this paper, the problem is formulated and solved to determine supply shares for some chosen technologies based on both renewable power conversion and natural gas use. The exergetic and economic costs are established as primary competing factors. The deployment of renewable power technologies hypothetically follows the Gompertz growth model, which is constrained by exergetic self sustenance. The solution is given as a Pareto tradeoff front for arrays of optimal technologies and capacities. Additionally, the sustainability of these arrays is analyzed through indicators, and the current goal for renewable power technologies is discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper examines entry into new generation supply in the United States. It finds that entry into new generation is typically small scale and accomplished by companies with below average market shares. The construction of new generation facilities is also strongly associated with generation retirements. This evidence suggests that in most of the United States there is little ability for long-term market power in electric generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]