Benefits for Renewable Energy Project Developers

Supporting All Sizes of Renewable Energy Projects

At Zettawatts we understand the diverse needs of renewable energy project developers. Our platform is designed to support projects of all sizes, from distribution scale and behind-the-meter installations to large utility-scale developments. By listing your renewable energy project with Zettawatts, you can unlock a range of benefits that attract corporate offtakers and maximize the value of your renewable energy attributes.

Behind-the-Meter Projects (5MW-9.9MW)

For Behind-the-Meter (BTM) developers like Conductor.Solar, projects often involve local companies utilizing available rooftop space or land to build solar installations. Typically, customers of such projects are more interested in long-term power savings, than the Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs.).

For a BTM project, you are able to provide two options for a 5MW rooftop installation:

Current: A traditional installation priced at $5,000,000.
Subsidized: A cost-effective installation at $4,000,000, funded by a corporation that commits to purchase the RECs at a fixed price for 10 years to offset their emissions.

The subsidized option provides the customer with a rooftop solar installation, but another corporation can step in to fund the additional $10/AREC by committing to buy the first 10 years of RECs from the project. This arrangement not only reduces costs for your customer but also allows you, as the project developer, to aggregate and sell the RECs to Zettawatts in 10,000 annual MWh blocks for 5- or 10-year periods.

Distribution-Scale Renewable Energy Development (10MW-100MW)

Developers working on distribution-scale projects in the 10MW-100MW range benefit from our extensive network of corporate offtakers. As an example - here is a 100 MW project that EDPR recently secured a VPPA with Amazon for. Projects just like these, can be deployed across the US and the AREC market structure can secure the necessary premium offtake to help these projects get to FID, while the developer is able to deploy Clean electrons to the grid.

The Zettawatts AREC Market aggregates buyers interested in acquiring between 10,000 and 200,000 annual MWh from projects. Zettawatts can then be your primary offtake partner for your project’s RECs before going for Financial Investment Decision (FID). This comprehensive market access simplifies the process of securing buyers and maximizes the value of your RECs.

Utility Scale Projects (100MW+)

For utility-scale developers, typically working on projects of 100MW or more, Zettawatts offers tailored solutions that enhance project viability and profitability. {Notable large-scale projects, such as the 2,400MW SunZia project by Pattern Energy, illustrate the potential of these developments.}

Utility-scale developers working with Zettawatts often adopt an 80% V/PPA (Virtual Power Purchase Agreement) approach with corporate offtakers for the projects projected MWh, retaining 20% of the project’s MWH for merchant sales. This strategy allows developers to secure a premium for the RECs for the remaining 20% of the project while taking advantage of the merchant Energy market for that 20%, which current is in contago, meaning higher forecasted Energy pricing. This approach provides some bandwidth for certain performance guarantees that might exist in the 80% V/PPA, such as firm commitments on the forecasted production. Since there is a premium associated with ARECs, this 80/20 approach increases project economics. By improving project economics, developers can present more attractive proposals to financiers, increasing the likelihood of securing funding and bringing the project to grid.

Add Additionality RECs to your Offtake Mix

Listing your renewable energy project with Zettawatts offers significant benefits, regardless of the project size. Whether you are working on distribution-scale, behind-the-meter, or utility-scale projects, Additionality RECs are a new tool to reach FID.

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Want to see how the AREC Market can support your renewable energy projects? Schedule time with our Project Developer support team here to learn more.