IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/glofin/v55y2023ics1044028322000977.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Deferring real options with solar renewable energy certificates

Author

Listed:
  • Zhang, Hanyu
  • Assereto, Martina
  • Byrne, Julie

Abstract

This study evaluates investment in a utility-scale solar power plant using a real-options approach (ROA). Although ROAs have been widely applied in the literature, the deferring option for a utility-scale power plant has not been fully examined, especially within the context of the unique subsidy program of solar renewable energy certificates (SRECs) in the USA. Using data from one of the most developed solar electricity markets in New Jersey, we incorporate the time-varying volatility of electricity prices and bounded SREC prices in real-options valuation. Our results show that deferring real options generates significant value for the project that the traditional discount cash flow approach ignores. It is thus optimal to postpone the investment in more than 70% of cases. In addition, we demonstrate that debt financing is crucial for renewable energy investments.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhang, Hanyu & Assereto, Martina & Byrne, Julie, 2023. "Deferring real options with solar renewable energy certificates," Global Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 55(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:glofin:v:55:y:2023:i:c:s1044028322000977
    DOI: 10.1016/j.gfj.2022.100795
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1044028322000977
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.gfj.2022.100795?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kozlova, Mariia, 2017. "Real option valuation in renewable energy literature: Research focus, trends and design," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 180-196.
    2. Ioannou, Anastasia & Angus, Andrew & Brennan, Feargal, 2017. "Risk-based methods for sustainable energy system planning: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 602-615.
    3. Castellini, Marta & Menoncin, Francesco & Moretto, Michele & Vergalli, Sergio, 2021. "Photovoltaic Smart Grids in the prosumers investment decisions: a real option model," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 126(C).
    4. Assereto, Martina & Byrne, Julie, 2021. "No real option for solar in Ireland: A real option valuation of utility scale solar investment in Ireland," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    5. Schachter, J.A. & Mancarella, P., 2016. "A critical review of Real Options thinking for valuing investment flexibility in Smart Grids and low carbon energy systems," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 261-271.
    6. Zeng, Yaxiong & Klabjan, Diego & Arinez, Jorge, 2015. "Distributed solar renewable generation: Option contracts with renewable energy credit uncertainty," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 295-305.
    7. Fernandes, Bartolomeu & Cunha, Jorge & Ferreira, Paula, 2011. "The use of real options approach in energy sector investments," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 15(9), pages 4491-4497.
    8. Jin, Xing & Yang, Cheng-Yu, 2016. "Efficient estimation of lower and upper bounds for pricing higher-dimensional American arithmetic average options by approximating their payoff functions," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 65-77.
    9. Pan, Yingjie & Yao, Xing & Wang, Xin & Zhu, Lei, 2019. "Policy uncertainties: What investment choice for solar panel producers?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 454-467.
    10. Pindyck, Robert S, 1991. "Irreversibility, Uncertainty, and Investment," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 29(3), pages 1110-1148, September.
    11. Joseph Sarkis & Maurry Tamarkin, 2008. "Real options analysis for renewable energy technologies in a GHG emissions trading environment," Springer Books, in: Ralf Antes & Bernd Hansjürgens & Peter Letmathe (ed.), Emissions Trading, pages 103-119, Springer.
    12. Lenos Trigeorgis, 1993. "Real Options and Interactions With Financial Flexibility," Financial Management, Financial Management Association, vol. 22(3), Fall.
    13. Weron, Rafał, 2014. "Electricity price forecasting: A review of the state-of-the-art with a look into the future," International Journal of Forecasting, Elsevier, vol. 30(4), pages 1030-1081.
    14. Biondi, Tommaso & Moretto, Michele, 2015. "Solar Grid Parity dynamics in Italy: A real option approach," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 293-302.
    15. Zhang, M.M. & Zhou, P. & Zhou, D.Q., 2016. "A real options model for renewable energy investment with application to solar photovoltaic power generation in China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 213-226.
    16. Haas, Reinhard & Panzer, Christian & Resch, Gustav & Ragwitz, Mario & Reece, Gemma & Held, Anne, 2011. "A historical review of promotion strategies for electricity from renewable energy sources in EU countries," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 15(2), pages 1003-1034, February.
    17. Rafal Weron, 2014. "A review of electricity price forecasting: The past, the present and the future," HSC Research Reports HSC/14/02, Hugo Steinhaus Center, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology.
    18. Weron, Rafal, 2008. "Market price of risk implied by Asian-style electricity options and futures," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 30(3), pages 1098-1115, May.
    19. Brennan, M J, 1979. "The Pricing of Contingent Claims in Discrete Time Models," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 34(1), pages 53-68, March.
    20. Drost, Feike C. & Werker, Bas J. M., 1996. "Closing the GARCH gap: Continuous time GARCH modeling," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 74(1), pages 31-57, September.
    21. Beliën, Jeroen & De Boeck, Liesje & Colpaert, Jan & Cooman, Gert, 2013. "The best time to invest in photovoltaic panels in Flanders," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 348-358.
    22. Menegaki, Angeliki, 2008. "Valuation for renewable energy: A comparative review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 12(9), pages 2422-2437, December.
    23. Zheng, Tingguo & Xiao, Han & Chen, Rong, 2015. "Generalized ARMA models with martingale difference errors," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 189(2), pages 492-506.
    24. Janczura, Joanna & Trück, Stefan & Weron, Rafał & Wolff, Rodney C., 2013. "Identifying spikes and seasonal components in electricity spot price data: A guide to robust modeling," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 96-110.
    25. Horn, Anders & Kjærland, Frode & Molnár, Peter & Steen, Beate Wollen, 2015. "The use of real option theory in Scandinavia's largest companies," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 74-81.
    26. Longstaff, Francis A & Schwartz, Eduardo S, 2001. "Valuing American Options by Simulation: A Simple Least-Squares Approach," University of California at Los Angeles, Anderson Graduate School of Management qt43n1k4jb, Anderson Graduate School of Management, UCLA.
    27. Longstaff, Francis A & Schwartz, Eduardo S, 2001. "Valuing American Options by Simulation: A Simple Least-Squares Approach," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 14(1), pages 113-147.
    28. Zhu, Lei & Fan, Ying, 2011. "A real options–based CCS investment evaluation model: Case study of China’s power generation sector," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 88(12), pages 4320-4333.
    29. Benjamin M.A. & Rigby R.A. & Stasinopoulos D.M., 2003. "Generalized Autoregressive Moving Average Models," Journal of the American Statistical Association, American Statistical Association, vol. 98, pages 214-223, January.
    30. Pringles, Rolando & Olsina, Fernando & Garcés, Francisco, 2015. "Real option valuation of power transmission investments by stochastic simulation," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 215-226.
    31. Tian, Lixin & Pan, Jianglai & Du, Ruijin & Li, Wenchao & Zhen, Zaili & Qibing, Gao, 2017. "The valuation of photovoltaic power generation under carbon market linkage based on real options," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 201(C), pages 354-362.
    32. Lambrecht, Bart M., 2017. "Real options in finance," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 166-171.
    33. Zhang, Mingming & Liu, Liyun & Wang, Qunwei & Zhou, Dequn, 2020. "Valuing investment decisions of renewable energy projects considering changing volatility," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    34. Myers, Stewart C., 1977. "Determinants of corporate borrowing," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 5(2), pages 147-175, November.
    35. Rodolphe Durand & Robert M. Grant & Tammy L. Madsen & Lenos Trigeorgis & Jeffrey J. Reuer, 2017. "Real options theory in strategic management," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(1), pages 42-63, January.
    36. J. Muñoz & J. Contreras & J. Caamaño & P. Correia, 2011. "A decision-making tool for project investments based on real options: the case of wind power generation," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 186(1), pages 465-490, June.
    37. Kjaerland, Frode, 2007. "A real option analysis of investments in hydropower--The case of Norway," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(11), pages 5901-5908, November.
    38. Moon, Yongma & Baran, Mesut, 2018. "Economic analysis of a residential PV system from the timing perspective: A real option model," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 783-795.
    39. Jin‐Chuan Duan, 1995. "The Garch Option Pricing Model," Mathematical Finance, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 5(1), pages 13-32, January.
    40. Lin, Boqiang & Wesseh, Presley K., 2013. "Valuing Chinese feed-in tariffs program for solar power generation: A real options analysis," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 28(C), pages 474-482.
    41. Boomsma, Trine Krogh & Meade, Nigel & Fleten, Stein-Erik, 2012. "Renewable energy investments under different support schemes: A real options approach," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 220(1), pages 225-237.
    42. Siziba, Simiso & Hall, John Henry, 2021. "The evolution of the application of capital budgeting techniques in enterprises," Global Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 47(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Li, Jing & Cao, Bin, 2024. "Resources policies for solar development and eco-tourism expansion in emerging economies," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    2. Li, Yunfa & Liu, Fawei, 2023. "Assessment of impacts of land and electricity prices on mineral efficiency," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 86(PB).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Assereto, Martina & Byrne, Julie, 2021. "No real option for solar in Ireland: A real option valuation of utility scale solar investment in Ireland," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    2. Zhang, Mingming & Liu, Liyun & Wang, Qunwei & Zhou, Dequn, 2020. "Valuing investment decisions of renewable energy projects considering changing volatility," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    3. Kozlova, Mariia, 2017. "Real option valuation in renewable energy literature: Research focus, trends and design," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 180-196.
    4. Chen, Siyuan & Zhang, Qi & Wang, Ge & Zhu, Lijing & Li, Yan, 2018. "Investment strategy for underground gas storage facilities based on real option model considering gas market reform in China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 132-142.
    5. Cheng, Cheng & Wang, Zhen & Liu, Mingming & Chen, Qiang & Gbatu, Abimelech Paye & Ren, Xiaohang, 2017. "Defer option valuation and optimal investment timing of solar photovoltaic projects under different electricity market systems and support schemes," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 594-610.
    6. Zhang, M.M. & Wang, Qunwei & Zhou, Dequn & Ding, H., 2019. "Evaluating uncertain investment decisions in low-carbon transition toward renewable energy," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 240(C), pages 1049-1060.
    7. Carmen Schiel & Simon Glöser-Chahoud & Frank Schultmann, 2019. "A real option application for emission control measures," Journal of Business Economics, Springer, vol. 89(3), pages 291-325, April.
    8. Mombello, Bruno & Olsina, Fernando & Pringles, Rolando, 2023. "Valuing photovoltaic power plants by compound real options," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 216(C).
    9. Àlex Alonso-Travesset & Diederik Coppitters & Helena Martín & Jordi de la Hoz, 2023. "Economic and Regulatory Uncertainty in Renewable Energy System Design: A Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(2), pages 1-30, January.
    10. Zhang, Mingming & Zhou, Dequn & Zhou, Peng, 2014. "A real option model for renewable energy policy evaluation with application to solar PV power generation in China," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 944-955.
    11. Pringles, Rolando & Olsina, Fernando & Penizzotto, Franco, 2020. "Valuation of defer and relocation options in photovoltaic generation investments by a stochastic simulation-based method," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 151(C), pages 846-864.
    12. Mingming Zhang & Dequn Zhou & Hao Ding & Jingliang Jin, 2016. "Biomass Power Generation Investment in China: A Real Options Evaluation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(6), pages 1-22, June.
    13. Barbara Glensk & Reinhard Madlener, 2019. "Energiewende @ Risk: On the Continuation of Renewable Power Generation at the End of Public Policy Support," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(19), pages 1-25, September.
    14. Zhang, M.M. & Zhou, P. & Zhou, D.Q., 2016. "A real options model for renewable energy investment with application to solar photovoltaic power generation in China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 213-226.
    15. Zhang, M.M. & Zhou, D.Q. & Zhou, P. & Liu, G.Q., 2016. "Optimal feed-in tariff for solar photovoltaic power generation in China: A real options analysis," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 181-192.
    16. Liu, Xiaoran & Ronn, Ehud I., 2020. "Using the binomial model for the valuation of real options in computing optimal subsidies for Chinese renewable energy investments," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    17. Zhang, M.M. & Zhou, D.Q. & Zhou, P. & Chen, H.T., 2017. "Optimal design of subsidy to stimulate renewable energy investments: The case of China," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 873-883.
    18. Tian, Lixin & Pan, Jianglai & Du, Ruijin & Li, Wenchao & Zhen, Zaili & Qibing, Gao, 2017. "The valuation of photovoltaic power generation under carbon market linkage based on real options," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 201(C), pages 354-362.
    19. Penizzotto, F. & Pringles, R. & Olsina, F., 2019. "Real options valuation of photovoltaic power investments in existing buildings," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 1-1.
    20. Amalia Rodrigo-González & Alfredo Grau-Grau & Inmaculada Bel-Oms, 2021. "Circular Economy and Value Creation: Sustainable Finance with a Real Options Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-30, July.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Least-squares Monte Carlo simulation; Real-options approach; Solar photovoltaic investment;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G13 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Contingent Pricing; Futures Pricing
    • Q2 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Renewable Resources and Conservation
    • G11 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Portfolio Choice; Investment Decisions
    • C15 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General - - - Statistical Simulation Methods: General

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:glofin:v:55:y:2023:i:c:s1044028322000977. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/inca/620162 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.