Senior Energy Efficiency Analyst, U.S. Energy Information Administration

Please note your affiliation and years of experience in the energy and/or environmental field, and any particular achievement/interest in energy/environment you would like to mention.

I’ve been exploring energy issues since 1995, when I joined McKinsey & Company’s energy practice as a research analyst. At the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s Office of Market Oversight & Investigation, I became particularly interested in renewable energy, demand response, and energy efficiency in wholesale power markets. I recognized the important nexus between wholesale and retail policies and markets when I worked on teams that wrote several of FERC’s “Assessment of Demand Response & Advanced Metering” reports, required by Congress under EPAct 2005.

At EIA’s Office of Energy Consumption and Efficiency Analysis, I’m working on ways to better incorporate energy efficiency savings and distributed generation characteristics into our analyses of energy use.

In your opinion, what are important economic/policy issues facing the energy industry nowadays?

I’m curious about the changes the next decade will bring as new technologies emerge and big data can inform decision making. What would a regulatory compact look like after weighing the importance of a reliable, resilient grid; keeping utilities financially “whole” without unfair cost shifting; and adapting to informed customer participation in a more distributed grid? What tools and data will be available so customers can make smart energy choices – with insights into the cost, timing, and locational value of their energy supply and power use? How can the size and contribution of distributed energy resources (including solar photovoltaics, CHP, energy efficiency, storage, and demand response) be consistently measured?

How long have you been a member of NCAC? Any particular NCAC memory you would like to share with us?

I have been a member of NCAC since 2013 or 2014, but have long attended its informative lunches as a guest. Mark Lively’s warm, welcoming, and curious persona is one of my strongest memories from these gatherings; he will be missed.