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Review and morphological analysis of renewable power purchasing agreement types

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  • Mittler, Christian
  • Bucksteeg, Michael
  • Staudt, Philipp

Abstract

Renewable power purchase agreements are an important tool in financing renewable generation capacity projects. They advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals by supporting renewable energy expansion, reducing emissions, and promoting sustainable energy access. There are various contract structures that currently lack classification and standardization. This analysis reviews the existing academic and gray literature to provide an overview of existing contract types of renewable power purchasing agreements. Those contracts are classified by their main features. The literature is supplemented with first-hand expert knowledge by conducting eight semi-structured interviews with industry experts to provide an overview of the current international renewable power purchasing agreements market. Finally, based on the review and interviews, a morphological box is developed that allows the structured design and analysis of renewable power purchasing agreements. To this end, the first classification of renewable power purchasing agreements is provided along the currently existing characteristics, which describes interdependencies between these characteristics. The results support the standardization of contracts and provide a terminology for researchers and practitioners. This article is, therefore, the first comprehensive review of the current state of renewable power purchasing agreements and supports policymakers, academics and practitioners in structuring their PPA analysis and design with an innovative morphological analysis.

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  • Mittler, Christian & Bucksteeg, Michael & Staudt, Philipp, 2025. "Review and morphological analysis of renewable power purchasing agreement types," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 211(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:211:y:2025:i:c:s1364032124010190
    DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2024.115293
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