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Posted Jan 24, 2014, 6:15 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: lodged against an abutment
Posts: 7,556
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China Installed a Record 12 Gigawatts of Solar in 2013
23 January 2014
Jan. 24 (Bloomberg) — Developers in China installed a record 12 gigawatts of solar panels in 2013, almost matching the total amount of solar power in operation in the U.S., and may exceed that in 2014, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance.
The power plants were built mostly in China’s sunny, western provinces of Gansu, Xinjiang and Qinghai and make its state-owned power companies the world’s biggest owners of solar assets, the London-based research company said in a statement yesterday.
China was the biggest solar market last year, surpassing longtime leader Germany. Chinese installation more than tripled from 3.6 gigawatts in 2012, and the nation expects to add 14 gigawatts of solar capacity this year, according to New Energy Finance.
“The 2013 figures show the astonishing scale of the Chinese market,” Jenny Chase, lead solar analyst at New Energy Finance, said in the statement. “PV is becoming ever cheaper and simpler to install, and China’s government has been as surprised as European governments by how quickly it can be deployed in response to incentives.”
The Chinese government is targeting 14GW of additional PV capacity in 2014. Transmission grid-connected projects were the vast majority of China’s solar market last year, but the government is aiming for at least 60% of this year’s installations to be rooftop capacity, which is connected to the distribution grid rather than the transmission grid. A shift to rooftops rather than remote deserts will bring additional legal and financial complications for developers and so Bloomberg New Energy Finance expects the target to be slightly undershot in 2014 – but with higher growth in 2015.
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http://about.bnef.com/bnef-news/chin...solar-in-2013/
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China’s 12GW solar market outstripped all expectations in 2013
23 January 2014
Last year was a record year for PV installation worldwide, with a rush of activity in China on the back of a national feed-in tariff one of the main drivers
Beijing and Zurich, 23 January 2014 – China’s solar developers installed a record 12GW of photovoltaic projects in 2013, and a booming market at the very end of the year may even have pushed installations up to 14GW. No country has ever added more than 8GW of solar power in a single year prior to 2013, and China’s record outstripped even the most optimistic forecasts of 12 months ago.
A CNY 1 (16 US cents) per kWh feed-in tariff for large PV projects connecting to the transmission grid ended on 1 January, creating the year-end rush. China’s National Energy Administration announced earlier this month that there were 12GW of 2013 installations, but this preliminary estimate may be exceeded.
The Bloomberg New Energy Finance Industry Intelligence database, which tracks projects individually, identifying developer, owner, location and often equipment supplier or financer, already records 9.5GW of projects built in China in 2013. Bloomberg New Energy Finance’s research team continues to add projects, and will have nearly complete data by March.
China’s solar projects are heavily concentrated in its sunny and empty western provinces of Gansu (with 24% of all installations last year), Xinjiang (18%) and Qinghai (17%). Thanks to this activity in 2013, China’s state-owned power generators China Power Investment Corporation, China Three Gorges and China Huadian Corporation have become the world’s largest owners of solar assets.
The Chinese government is targeting 14GW of additional PV capacity in 2014. Transmission grid-connected projects were the vast majority of China’s solar market last year, but the government is aiming for at least 60% of this year’s installations to be rooftop capacity, which is connected to the distribution grid rather than the transmission grid. A shift to rooftops rather than remote deserts will bring additional legal and financial complications for developers and so Bloomberg New Energy Finance expects the target to be slightly undershot in 2014 – but with higher growth in 2015.
“The 2013 figures show the astonishing scale of the Chinese market, now the sleeping dragon has awoken” said Jenny Chase, head of solar analysis at Bloomberg New Energy Finance. “PV is becoming ever cheaper and simpler to install, and China’s government has been as surprised as European governments by how quickly it can be deployed in response to incentives.”
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http://about.bnef.com/press-releases...tions-in-2013/
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-0...allations.html
http://cleantechnica.com/2014/01/24/...ctations-2013/
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China lifts 2014 solar PV installation target to 14GW
By Giles Parkinson on 22 January 2014
China’s National Energy Administration (NEA) has reportedly increased the 2014 target for new solar PV capacity installations to 14GW – up from its previous target of 12GW.
The increase was noted by Deutsche Bank analysts, who said the target represents a near 50 per cent increase on the actual capacity installation of 9.5GW of solar PV in 2013.
Chinese officials had previously said that two thirds (8GW) of the 2014 target would come from distributed solar PV (on rooftops or in smaller arrays close to consumption), but it is not clear what the percentage is in the new target.
Earlier this month, Deutsche Bank said surging demand in China, Japan and the US would underpin a “second solar gold rush”. It tipped global installations to rise to 46GW in 2014 (based on the previous 12GW target for China), and to 56GW in 2015.
China is expected to be by far the largest installer of solar PV, followed by Japan, US and Europe, each with around 8GW.
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http://reneweconomy.com.au/2014/chin...get-14gw-18209
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China May Have Deployed More Solar in 2013 Alone Than America Has Installed Altogether
Last year brought record-breaking solar installations in China. But how much is actually connected to the grid?
Stephen Lacey
January 24, 2014
China has the fastest train in the world, the most megacities in the world, and the biggest population.
Now China can boast a new record: It has installed the most solar PV in one year.
Preliminary figures released by Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) show that China installed 12,000 megawatts of solar in 2013 -- beating Germany's record of 8,000 megawatts in 2010.
These figures merit a major caveat, however. China is a very tough country to track and estimates differ significantly. China's Renewable Energy Industries Association puts its preliminary estimate between 9,500 megawatts and 10,660 megawatts. GTM Research has not released its figures yet; it's waiting for a final number on actual grid connections.
The range of projections varies, but they all tell the same story: China's domestic solar market is now a major force.
In comparison, the booming U.S. market just surpassed 10,000 megawatts of cumulative installations last year, with around 4,200 megawatts deployed in 2013. That's a big deal for America, as it's the first time in fifteen years that the country has put up more solar PV than Germany, the historical global leader.
However, if BNEF's estimates are accurate, the U.S. only completed around a quarter of the installations that China was able to build last year.
As developers rushed to secure a feed-in tariff set to scale back at the close of December, the market surged in the fourth quarter. BNEF speculates that the installation count could potentially rise to 14,000 megawatts.
But there's a big difference between installations and actual grid connection. The "vast majority" of Chinese projects were large-scale installations connected to the transmission network. Since China's grid has been notoriously troublesome for the wind industry, it's unclear how many solar projects are facing the same interconnection problems. That could skew the numbers once everything is counted.
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http://www.greentechmedia.com/articl...alled-all-time
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WFES: A new realism for solar in MENA
24. January 2014 | Markets & Trends, Investor news, Global PV markets, Industry & Suppliers | By: Karl-Heinz Remmers
Reports from the World Future Energy Summit (WFES) in Abu Dhabi suggest that MENA's PV potential is vast, provided legal, political and technical maturity continues apace.
The prevailing PV mood from this week's World Future Energy Summit (WFES) – held in Abu Dhabi from January 22-24 – was one of burgeoning potential in a MENA region on the cusp of political, legal and technical maturity.
The renewable energy event is the largest in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, and this year attracted an estimated 25,000 visitors and some 650 exhibitors. With its focus split equally between water, waste, wind and solar energy, it was a good opportunity to gauge the PV appetite when pitched against other forms of renewables.
Amid a politicized backdrop, the PV portion of the show was dominated by Chinese companies, who boasted a heavy presence throughout proceedings. Contrasted with the U.S. – whose stand was smaller than that of the U.K. and even Norway – it was evident that the MENA region was likely to be beckoned east, rather than west, at least in the near-term.
Having enjoyed numerous false dawns in the international PV spotlight in recent years, the attitude towards MENA’s PV potential at WFES was more nuanced. Visitors and exhibitors were more realistic at the immediate prospects for PV in MENA, aware that progress may indeed be slow, hampered by a lack of local know-how, intermittent political unrest across pockets of the region, and an understandable sense of wanting to do things the right way.
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Morocco – each individual nation in the region has its own ambitious, its own timeframes, and its own way of doing business, and all start from varying technical and legal standpoints. Despite an almost blanket share of the chief resource – the abundant sunshine – no two countries in MENA are the same, meaning a country-by-country approach is essential in understanding how the PV sector is going to progress.
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http://www.pv-magazine.com/news/deta...ena_100014037/
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NextEnergy targets €180 million PV investment on London Stock Exchange
24. January 2014 | Markets & Trends, Investor news, Financial & Legal Affairs | By: Ian Clover
The solar farm management group hopes to raise £150 million (€180 million) to invest in UK solar projects by floating NextEnergy Solar Fund Ltd on the London Stock Exchange.
NextEnergy Capital – a solar farm management group run by former Goldman Sachs banker Michael Bonte-Friedheim – has announced ambitious plans to float its NextEnergy Solar Fund Ltd subsidiary on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) in the hope of raising £150 million (€180 million) in funding for new solar PV projects in the U.K.
Boasting a solar PV portfolio of projects in Italy, South Africa and the U.K., NextEnergy's latest venture is intended to tap into the growing level of public and commercial support for solar in the U.K., which many consumers see as a sound long-term investment.
Despite government attempts to rein in the costs of adopting greater solar coverage across much of the country, Bonte-Friedheim believes that the industry now has a fair wind behind it, having won over its harshest skeptics – the general public. "The U.K. solar market has come of age as an investment proposition, offering long-term stable returns with RPI linkage while helping the country achieve its renewable energy targets," Bonte-Friedheim said.
A statement from the NEC Group that owns NextEnergy Solar Fund revealed that it estimates the U.K. must invest more than £11 billion (€13.3 billion) in the solar sector over the next few years if it is to achieve the government's aims of hitting its 2020 target to generate 15% of the country's power needs from renewable energy sources.
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http://www.pv-magazine.com/news/deta...nge_100014031/
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Solar Frontier connects Asia's largest airport PV plant
24. January 2014 | Industry & Suppliers, Global PV markets, Markets & Trends | By: Ian Clover
Lift-off for the 11.6 MW PV plant at Japan's Kansai International Airport was confirmed today by Solar Frontier.
Asia's largest airport solar PV installation has been brought on-stream this week by Japan's Solar Frontier.
The solar development company has connected the 11.6 MW installation at Kansai International Airport, Osaka, Japan to the grid, and it is expected to start commercial operation on February 1st.
The project is the largest of its kind in Asia, and has become one of the world’s largest airport solar PV installations. Solar Frontier were joined in the project’s creation by the Development Bank of Japan (DBJ), SF Solar Power and SF Kansai Mega Solar – subsidiaries of Solar Frontier.
"Bringing live an 11.6 MW project in Japan in seven months demonstrates Solar Frontier's comprehensive and robust project capabilities," said Solar Frontier president and representative director of sales, Hiroto Tamai. "We are proud to be part of the transition toward more environmentally friendly airports."
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http://www.pv-magazine.com/news/deta...ant_100014029/
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Kenya sets record straight on solar goals
By Lucy Woods - 24 January 2014, 11:50
In News, Power Generation, Grid Connection, Market Watch
Wildly varying reports of Kenya’s plans for deploying solar energy have been dismissed by power industry and policy figures in the East African country.
Last week the UK’s Guardian newspaper reported that Kenya was planning to source over 50% of its electricity by 2016 from solar projects across just nine separate sites, at a cost of US$1.2 billion.
These claims, citing an employee of the Kenya Renewable Energy Association (KREA), were at odds with a report by the Bloomberg news service before Christmas suggesting some kind of moratorium had been placed on the issuing of licences for solar and wind projects in the country until 2017.
But following inquiries by PV Tech, both claims have been debunked by figures in Kenya’s energy ministry, regulator and national power utility company.
The Guardian report cited comments from Cliff Owiti, a senior administrator with Kenya Renewable Energy Association (KEREA) claiming that the country had identified nine sites where it was planning to build solar plants to supply “half the country’s electricity by 2016”.
But Kevin Sang, communications officer for the electricity utility, Kenya Power, said The Guardian claims were “farfetched” and confirmed Kenya Power had been given no government direction in regard to a 50% penetration of solar.
Meanwhile, Lee Okombe, spokesman for Kenya’s Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), dismissed the Guardian report.
“I have liaised with KEREA and I can firmly report that the Guardian report is null and void. Cliff Owiti was not interviewed and so the information in that report has no basis. As of now there are no specific targets for solar energy in the country,” Okombe said.
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http://www.pv-tech.org/news/regulato...rium_and_50_en
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Pakistan announces long-awaited upfront solar FiT rates
By Andy Colthorpe - 24 January 2014, 12:48
In News, Power Generation, Tariff Watch
Upfront FiT rates for large scale photovoltaic (PV) projects in Pakistan have been announced by the country’s National Electric Power Regulatory Authority, set lower than rates recommended to agencies advising the regulator on the scheme.
The newly announced FiTs will apply to plants of between 1MW and 100MW capacity and are set at a different rate in the north and south of the country. The NEPRA publication detailing the upfront tariff rates refers to higher levels of solar irradiance in the south of Pakistan than the north. NEPRA referred to the division as a ‘Tiered Tariff Structure’ and described the system as “ideal” due to “the solar irradiance profile of Pakistan”. The tariffs are calculated as a payment to cover 25 years of operation.
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http://www.pv-tech.org/news/pakistan...ront_fit_rates
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How the Expiration of the Federal ITC Could Create a Boom in the Commercial Solar Market
Chris Williams, HeatSpring
January 24, 2014 | 2 Comments
Chris Lord of CapIron, Commercial Solar Finance Expert
All eyes are on the reduction or expiration of the 30 percent federal investment tax credit (ITC). While it's the prime goal of SEIA (Solar Energy Industries Association) to maintain the federal ITC, some have argued explicitly that it's time to dismiss solar tax credits on the local level, while others have argued the federal tax credit SHOULD be reduced or eliminated to help the solar industry.
In this 30-minute interview posted below, I talk with Chris Lord, of CapIron Inc, a solar finance expert. Chris works with property owners, developers and financiers to develop mid-market solar projects. Chris has extensive experience financing solar projects and because he deals with stakeholders on all sides of a project, I've found his perspective to be extremely valuable. We'll discuss investor trends in the commercial solar market, the possible impact of the expiration of the ITC, non-recourse bank lending trends, how EPCs should find investors in their local market, and the impact of crowdfunding.
In this interview, you will learn:- Why there are a lot of banks and funds investing in 2-MW+ and residential solar projects, but few focusing on commercial. I'll will share why I do not see a trend of more and more project investors focusing on smaller and smaller commercial projects even though there is a huge opportunity. (Note, there are some funds focusing on mid-market projects, click here to listen to an interview with a $20MM solar tax equity investor that only finances mid-market commercial projects.)
- Why mid-market commercial projects are the hardest part of the market for investors to deal with. Hint: It's because of the high transaction cost relative to the size of the deal and the inability to aggregate deals.
- Even though commercial financing is difficult, Chris will share how he sees projects are still being built.
- The four characteristics of the right investors for mid-market commercial projects.
- What are the three steps a developer must take to find project investors for their projects.
- How an EPC's development plan for a project and the tax appetite of an investors are intimately linked.
- How the tax appetite of an investor will be the limiting factor to an EPC's development plan and how you can quickly reverse engineer the tax appetite required from an investor to fund your development pipeline.
- Why the standardization of documents (note: you can see the results of NRELs working group here and Tioga's open source PPA here) will only have a minimal impact on reducing the transaction costs for mid-market deals.
- Why developers should work on creating a specific formula with their investor partners with a specific jurisdiction that can be replicated as much as possible.
- How tax benefits are a double edged sword and how the expiration of the ITC could greatly simply financing and increase adoption of commercial solar.
- The maximum transaction cost-to-project deal ratio that I see in the market.
- The impact that the expiration of the federal ITC could have on local solar markets and how it will be different based on the rigidity of state incentive programs.
- How low gas prices could shut down coal plants and increase electric rates, increasing solar adoption.
- Why non-recourse debt is not getting substantially involved in the commercial solar market.
- Why the expiration of the 2016 ITC could switch the market to using a hosts debt and their own balance sheet to finance projects, eliminating the need for a PPA because tax credit monetization is no longer needed.
- Three advantages of crowd-funding over borrowing from banks for developers.
- Two reasons why crowdfunding is attractive to investors.
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http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/...l-solar-market
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China's solar industry rebounds, but will boom-bust cycle repeat?
By Charlie Zhu
HONG KONG Thu Jan 23, 2014 6:21pm EST
(Reuters) - China's solar panel industry is showing signs of booming again after a prolonged downturn - raising fears of another bust when the splurge of public money that is driving a spike in demand dries up.
Lured by generous power tariffs and financing support to promote renewable energy, Chinese firms are racing to develop multi-billion dollar solar generating projects in the Gobi desert and barren hills of China's vast north and northwest.
The sweeteners have not only lured traditional energy investors like China Power Investment Corp, but also a host of solar panel makers and even companies such as toll road operator Huabei Express and Jiangsu Kuangda Auto Textile Group.
Some solar panel manufacturers, encouraged by a recovery in sales in the last two quarters - largely on surging demand from China and Japan - are expanding production capacity, even though the overall sector remains mired in a severe glut.
But industry officials worry fast-growing generation capacity will increase fiscal pressures on China and Japan and force them to cut subsidies which will then hit demand, just as happened with previous big solar users Germany, Spain and Italy.
"The key is whether the Chinese government is determined enough to boost solar generation," Sun Haiyan, senior executive at Trina Solar, said when asked if the current solar expansion in China was sustainable.
China already boasts solar manufacturing capacity of about 45 gigawatts (GW), enough to meet global demand this year.
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http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/...A0M1VJ20140123
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UK’s largest solar thermal installation completed in Shropshire
By Peter Bennett | 24 January 2014, 16:37 Updated: 24 January 2014, 16:43
TGE Group claims to have installed the UK’s largest commercial solar thermal installation for a game rearing business in Shropshire.
The 194kW system has been installed across two game rearing sheds at JE Barker & Sons. The 126-panel system will provide space heating in order to help combat the escalating energy bills related to pheasant rearing.
In addition to the solar thermal installation, TGE Group installed a 7.6kWp solar PV system. The company states that the multi-technology system complements each other and will help negate the emission of 34 tonnes of CO2 every year. In addition, the system is eligible under the Renewable Heat Incentive and 100% first year Enhanced Capital Allowance, netting the company over £450,000 in savings and income over the 20-year lifetime of the RHI.
“Using solar thermal to heat open spaces shows the versatility of this technology. Traditionally farmers might fit solar thermal for generating hot water for wash downs, when in reality there are a wide range of commercial heating applications that the technology can be used for,” said Matthew Evans, heat director, TGE Group.
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http://www.solarpowerportal.co.uk/ne...hropshire_2356
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Germany Tax on Own Use of Renewables Is First in Europe
By Stefan Nicola and Marc Roca Jan 24, 2014 5:28 AM PT
Germany is set to become the first nation in Europe to charge owners of renewable energy plants for their own use of electricity, part of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s effort to contain rising power bills.
Merkel’s Cabinet backed proposals to charge operators of new clean-energy plants 70 percent of the so-called EEG-Umlage, a fee paid by power consumers that they’re currently exempt from, according to an economy ministry document obtained today by Bloomberg News. That would translate into 4.4 euro cents (6 cents) a kilowatt-hour.
The solar industry says such a payment would curb investments in the technology in the nation that has the most installations of photovoltaics in the world.
“The fee will make the environmentally friendly self-consumption of solar power unattractive, especially for the Mittelstand, farmers and companies,” the BSW-Solar industry group said in a statement. Developers that consume their own solar power already lower the costs of Merkel’s energy program by not selling their power to the grid at above-market rates, the group said.
Germany would be the first European country to penalize the self-consumption of solar energy, something only Arizona has done so far. Spain is also working on a similar plan to ensure small solar power generators, which reduce total grid users, help pay for network costs. As many as a dozen U.S. states are also considering charges for solar rooftop owners.
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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-0...in-europe.html
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IKEA Doubles Size of Largest Single-Use Rooftop Commercial Array in Colorado
01/24/2014
Clean Edge News
IKEA has officially plugged-in an expanded solar energy system atop its Denver-area store that opened more than two years ago in Centennial, CO. Installation of the additional panels began this summer, and since then have more than doubled the size of the original array, which already was the state’s largest single-use rooftop array on a commercial building and now is the largest of any use.
The 83,700-square-foot solar addition consists of a 623-kW system, built with 2,492 panels, and will produce 961,000 kWh of electricity annually for the store. Including the existing system, IKEA Centennial’s total 1,121-kW solar installation of 4,704 panels now will generate 1,701,000 kWh of clean electricity yearly, the equivalent of reducing 1,200 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2), eliminating the emissions of 250 cars or powering 180 homes (calculating clean energy equivalents at http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energ...alculator.html).
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http://www.cleanedge.com/Resources/n...ay-in-Colorado
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17 Million North American Consumers Now in Competitive Electricity Markets
01/27/2014
Clean Edge News
Millions of electricity customers in North America live in states and provinces that allow them to shop for electric service. Seventeen million residential consumers have exercised their right to choose along with numerous business consumers, according to the Annual Baseline Assessment of Choice in Canada and the United States (ABACCUS), a report released today by Distributed Energy Financial Group LLC (DEFG).
“People choose from an ever-increasing diversity of retail electricity products,” said Nat Treadway, DEFG managing partner and lead author of the report. “In Texas, more than 300 different choices are available—somewhat like your grocery store cereal aisle—and this is a display of increased consumer participation and healthy competition.” Retail electricity competition grew in 2013 at an even more aggressive pace than in 2011 or 2012. “Competition and increased consumer shopping have prompted retail energy providers to deliver lower prices, and a great variety of innovative products and service choices. For commercial and industrial customers, the evidence is also quite clear. These customers participate in the market at extremely high levels in the states and provinces that allow direct access from supplier to consumer,” he said.
The ABACCUS report recognizes Texas as the leader in competitive retail electric markets for the seventh consecutive year.
“Texans save money when they take the time to shop for their electricity,” said Chairman Donna Nelson of the Public Utility Commission of Texas. “More than two dozen providers offer a variety of plans for the nearly seven million customers in the competitive Texas market.”
In addition, the Canadian province of Alberta, and the U.S. states of Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania were all recognized as leading competitive retail electricity markets. These jurisdictions are at various stages of regulatory reform to create the policies that foster choice while ensuring basic consumer protections.
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http://www.cleanedge.com/Resources/n...ricity-Markets
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