Andy Xie

Andy Xie is a Junior at Yale University studying Economics and Political Science, with a concentration in Environmental Policy. At CBEY, Andy writes for the Clean Energy Finance Forum and is a Research Assistant at the Yale Initiative on Sustainable Finance; in these capacities, his roles and interests lie mostly in the realm of impact investing, corporate social responsibility, philanthropic wealth management, and ESG. On campus, Andy serves as the Vice President of Net Impact (a social sector management consulting group), the Vice President of Yale Undergraduate Diversified Investments, and a Head of College Aide in Berkeley College. Andy is also the proud owner of a 4-year old Golden Retriever.

How do you sum the value of everything in, from, and under these trees? — (Courtesy City Forest Credits.) Beyond soothing imagery, urban trees measurably lift air quality, energy affordability and employment. City Forest Credits aims to quantify what that's worth.

City Forest Credits matches nonprofits and cities to fundi urban trees. It describes its mission as one to make “American cities greener, healthier, and more equitable.” By computing value of rainfall interception, air quality benefits and energy savings, the outfit aims to define premium price for nonprofit organizations to charge...

The story of a small property owner and a repaired boiler hints at the potential multipliers in C-PACE, a program that lets owners use energy savings to repay loans for upgrades. Keys to the program include training and coaching, which make the savings easier to achieve and quicker to see...

Get to know the power purchase agreement — How can electricity customers route electricity economics in a greener direction? Two forms of long-term power commitments provide promising vehicles.

Power purchase agreements come primarily in two flavors: physical and virtual. In the physical deal, a buyer takes electricity on specified green terms. In the virtual arrangement, a buyer commits capital for renewable projects that will light somebody else's territory. This piece lays out the logic, risks and potential in...

Cleaning this up can happen more quickly when a corporation enters a PPA — Power economics look volatile after the shutdown, but power purchase agreements can provide security, predictability and a production pathway for non-polluting fuels.

Though operating in distinct markets, each with unique business needs, companies from Sprint to Gap to the Clorox Company have all taken on a novel technique for energy procurement in the past year: the power purchase agreement (PPA).

Clean Energy Finance Forum

Andy Xie

Authored Articles

A Startup Seeks to Raise Urban Equity

In a Boiler, a Recipe for Energy Savings

Virtual or Physical, the PPA Is Prime

Introducing the ABCs of PPAs