Optimal investment strategies for power generation: the value of green energy

Colloquia & Seminars

Optimal investment strategies for power generation: the value of green energy
Date/Time:11 Feb 2019 15:00 Venue: S17 #04-06 SR1 Speaker: Yerkin Kitapbayev, Sloan School of Management, MIT Optimal investment strategies for power generation: the value of green energy This paper examines the investment in and the valuation of power generation projects under uncertainty. The analysis incorporates the possibility of producing from alternative types of fuels, such as renewables (wind) or fossil fuels (gas), hence alternative types of plants/technologies. The model considered in this paper cannot be reduced to a single state variable. It involves two distinct underlying processes, for electricity and gas, as well as embedded (two-dimensional) optimal stopping time problems. We apply probabilistic arguments and show that the optimal investment decision can be characterized by two boundaries that satisfy a system of coupled integral equations of Fredholm type. The value of a project to invest in the best of the two types of plants is the premium associated with the optimal investment policy, i.e., the present value of the cumulative instantaneous gains realized when either of the two technologies is optimal. The ability to select the type of plant/technology has significant effects on investment in power generation. The optimal delay can be substantial even if the values of both projects are both large. Green power generation emerges as a significant source of value creation. (Joint work with Jerome Detemple). Add to calendar: