Title Evaluating the Economic Feasibility of Green Construction Projects using FiT and CDM Support Mechanisms
Authors Koo, Bonsang
DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.6106/kJCEM.2013.14.3.123
Page pp.123-133
ISSN 1229-7534
Keywords Green Infrastructure ; New and Renewable Energy ; FiT ; CDM ; Economic Feasibility
Abstract Green infrastructure projects have the potential to reduce global warming and deliver sustainable energy solutions. Recently, the construction industry has been expanding their portfolios in New and Renewable (NRE) projects. However, the economic feasibility of NRE projects have not been validated and construction companies are not acquainted with their associated risks. This research performed a two-tiered feasibility study of the domestic projects registered for CDM in the UNFCCC. The first phase involved calculating the average IRR and NPV of the domestic CDM projects, which showed that their profitability to be very low. In the second phase, four NRE projects (Solar, Wind, Hydro, Landfill Gas) were selected and additional income generated from Feed-in-Tariff and CER sales were added to determine the improvements in the projects’ IRR and NPV. Results indicate that Solar and Landfill Gas projects benefited the most from the two support mechanisms, while benefits to Wind and Hydro projects were minimal. While the Landfill Gas project had the highest IRR, the Wind project was the most investment attractive due to its NPV and minimal dependency on FiT and CER sales. Construction companies should enter into NRE projects with a long term view as related technologies mature.