As more renewables become available to the energy mix, interest is growing in regulatory models that incentivize utilities for successful integration of clean energy resources. Award-penalty mechanisms (APMs) and multiyear rate plans (MRPs) both can lower regulatory cost at the same time that they encourage better performance. However, implementation of incentive regulation and performance-based ratemaking represents a complex problem for regulatory authorities, and a challenge (and opportunity) for utilities.
Organized by the Smart Grid Observer, this live, 90-minute webinar provides an overview of Performance Based Rates, an understanding of the future of PBR in the utility industry, and perspectives from various stakeholders, including regulators, utilities, and other industry leaders.
Agenda
12:00 - 12:30 pm CST (UTC -6)
Overview of Performance Based Rates
This opening presentation will provide an overview of Performance Based Rates, the evolution of PBR, differences between PBR and traditional utility ratemaking, pros and cons of moving towards PBR, and the status of PBR in the US.
David South, Senior Principal - Energy & Utilities, West Monroe Partners
Ross C. Hemphill, PhD, President, RCHemphill Solutions LLC
Amanda Aweh, Manager - Energy and Utilities, West Monroe Partners
12:30 - 1:30 pm CST (UTC -6)
Panel Discussion with Industry Leaders and Regulators
In this discussion session, each panelist will provide their point of view on PBR and discuss questions from the moderator and audience, such as:
Travis Kavulla, Vice President, Regulatory Affairs, NRG Energy
Bridget Dockter, Manager of Policy & Outreach, Xcel Energy
Dr. Carl Linvill, Principal, Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP)
Moderators: David South, Ross Hemphill, Amanda Aweh
Speaker Biographies
Travis Kavulla
Vice President, Regulatory Affairs
NRG Energy
Travis Kavulla is Vice President of Regulatory Affairs at NRG Energy, where he works to ensure that energy markets continue to deliver value for electricity consumers. Travis Kavulla joined NRG after a decade of work as a government regulator and energy policy expert. Before joining NRG, Travis held a position at R Street Institute, where he led the think tank's energy and environmental policy program. Prior to that, Travis served eight years as a utility commissioner at the Montana Public Service Commission, during which time he served as the President of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) and as a member of the Electric Power Research Institute advisory council. He also had the opportunity to serve on the governing body of the Western Energy Imbalance Market, one of North America's largest electricity markets. During his work in public life, Travis has written dozens of articles and speeches on energy and telecommunications policy and regulation. Travis has a master's degree in history from the University of Cambridge, where he was a Gates Scholar, and a bachelor's degree in history from Harvard University.
Jennifer M. Potter
Commissioner
Hawaii Public Utilities Commission
Jennifer M. Potter was appointed to the Public Utilities Commission by Governor Ige in March 2018. Commissioner Potter was previously a faculty member at the Hawaii Natural Energy Institute (HNEI), an independent research institute within the University of Hawaii, where she conducted research on demand response, Distributed Energy Resource (DERs) technologies, locational benefits of DERs, and energy efficiency. Prior to joining HNEI, Commissioner Potter was a Sr. Scientific Engineering Associate in the Electricity Market and Policy group at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, where she was the project lead on the 2025 California Demand Response Potential Study for the California Public Utilities Commission. During her tenure, she conducted a number of studies on demand response and integrated demand side management for the U.S. Department of Energy. Commissioner Potter previously worked at Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) as the Project Manager on SMUD's SmartSacramento team working on the Department of Energy's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funded Consumer Behavior Study, known as SmartPricing Options pricing pilot. While at SMUD, she also worked as the Customer Strategy Planner for residential and small commercial EE and DR programs, as well as serving as the Enterprise Performance Data Manager. Commissioner Potter also worked as the Principal Market Analyst in the Pricing and Resource Planning department at SMUD. Prior to her time at SMUD, Commissioner Potter worked at City of Roseville, Roseville Electric, as the principal load and revenue forecaster, load researcher, and business analyst for the utility. Commissioner Potter holds a Master of Science in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University and a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies and Economics from Southern Oregon University.
Bridget Dockter
Manager of Policy & Outreach
Xcel Energy
Bridget Dockter is the Manager of Policy & Outreach at Xcel Energy based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Bridget is a seasoned utility professional with over 20 years in the energy industry, much of it in policy and regulatory roles in a variety of areas including growing Xcel Energy's demand side management program, breaking ground with performance-based rates, and most recently -- developing programs designed to help customers on economic recovery as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Bridget also held a pioneering role, leading a unique city-utility collaboration called the Minneapolis Clean Energy Partnership. Bridget has a Master of Business Administration from Hamline University.
Ross C. Hemphill, PhD
President
RCHemphill Solutions LLC
Ross C. Hemphill, PhD is President of RCHemphill Solutions LLC, an economic consulting and research firm in Saint Charles, Illinois. Ross was Vice President of Regulatory Policy & Strategy for Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd) until the end of 2015. In that capacity he was responsible for revenue policy including the development of annual revenue requirements; retail rates including the development and implementation of ComEd's pricing policy; analysis of strategic policy options for ComEd's distribution business; and, the monitoring of regulatory compliance throughout the company. Ross' entire 35-year career has been devoted to energy and regulatory policy with a primary focus on rate-making theory and practice. His experience has included working, both directly and as a consultant, for utilities, research institutions and regulatory agencies. Ross has published articles on utility economics and pricing design in Electricity Journal, Public Utilities Fortnightly and Resources and Energy, as well as reports for the Electric Power Research Institute, Edison Electric Institute, the National Regulatory Research Institute and American Public Power Association. He holds a doctorate in resource economics from The Ohio State University, a master's degree in economics from Indiana State University, and a bachelor's degree in economics from Lewis University.
Dr. Carl Linvill
Principal
Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP)
Dr. Carl Linvill is a principal with RAP's U.S. team, and is based in Davis, CA. With his expertise in power sector markets, procurement, and planning, he leads RAP's work on renewable energy integration and transmission planning in the Western United States. Dr. Linvill focuses on distributed generation valuation and tariffs, as well as regional reliability solutions. Prior to joining RAP, Dr. Linvill served as a public utilities commissioner in Nevada, the economic and energy advisor to Nevada Governor Kenny Guinn, an academic economist at the Sam Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas, and director of integrated energy analysis and planning with Aspen Environmental Group. More recent activities include serving as chairman of the Modeling Data Task Force for the Scenario Planning Steering Group at the Western Electric Coordinating Council, as principal author of Western Grid 2050 for the Western Grid Group, and as a member of the California Energy Commission Demand Forecast Expert Panel. While an academic, he presented microeconomic theory, game theory, and managerial economics, and produced peer reviewed publications in the Journal of Regulatory Economics, the European Journal of Operational Research, the Journal of Productivity Analysis, the International Journal of Industrial Organization, and the Journal of Comparative Economics. Dr. Linvill received his bachelor's degree in mathematics and economics from the University of California at Davis, and his doctorate in economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
David South
Senior Principal - Energy & Utilities
West Monroe Partners
David has more than 40 years' experience as a private sector consultant and government researcher on emerging energy and environmental regulatory, market, policy and technology topics. He has devised and assessed performance-based rates (PBR), performance-based incentive mechanisms for various conventional and distributed energy technologies, constructed customer engagement programs for various advanced rate structures, and contributed to innovative program and rate structures for distributed energy, demand response and energy efficiency. David brings a holistic and innovative perspective to problem solving, including the assessment of their sustainability implications and value. He joined West Monroe in 2013 where he is a Senior Principal in its Energy & Utilities Practice and leads its enterprise Sustainability Team.
Amanda Aweh
Manager - Energy and Utilities
West Monroe Partners
Amanda Aweh is a manager in West Monroe's Energy & Utilities consulting practice, with 10 years of experience in the energy industry. Amanda has worked with utilities across the US on demand response, demand side management, and advanced rate programs, electric vehicle and fleet projects, Smart Grid enablement, regulatory filings, operations optimization, and business case development for AMI. Prior to West Monroe, Amanda was the Project Manager of the Default Time Of Use Pilot at Pacific Gas and Electric Company, where she led the implementation of a one-year, 160,000 customer default Time of Use pilot, developing the operational implementation, change management strategy, customer outreach and education campaign, and measurement and evaluation of the load shift, load reduction, and consumer understanding. At PG&E she has also served in the roles of Program Manager, Residential Rate Reform; Project Manager: SunShot Race to 7 Day Solar; and Emergency Operations Center Advanced Planner. Amanda holds a Master of Industrial and Operations Engineering and an MBA from the University of Michigan, as well as BS in accounting and operations from Boston University.
Registration Includes:
Powered by GoToMeeting, the webinar allows for live interaction between speakers and fellow attendees via audio, video, and text chat. Attendees have the opportunity to view the attendee list and set up meetings & introductions with fellow registrants, facilitated by SGO. Recordings of all presentations and discussions will be available afterward for on-demand viewing by registered participants for three months.
Be sure to join us for an in-depth look at the challenges and opportunities associated with the move toward Performance-Based Ratemaking -- register today!
Organized by
Organized by the Smart Grid Observer, this live, 90-minute webinar provides an overview of Performance Based Rates, an understanding of the future of PBR in the utility industry, and perspectives from various stakeholders, including regulators, utilities, and other industry leaders.
Overview of Performance Based Rates
This opening presentation will provide an overview of Performance Based Rates, the evolution of PBR, differences between PBR and traditional utility ratemaking, pros and cons of moving towards PBR, and the status of PBR in the US.
David South, Senior Principal - Energy & Utilities, West Monroe Partners
Ross C. Hemphill, PhD, President, RCHemphill Solutions LLC
Amanda Aweh, Manager - Energy and Utilities, West Monroe Partners
12:30 - 1:30 pm CST (UTC -6)
Panel Discussion with Industry Leaders and Regulators
In this discussion session, each panelist will provide their point of view on PBR and discuss questions from the moderator and audience, such as:
- What are the key challenges in adopting PBR, and how do we address them?
- What is the best blend (if any) between current regulatory models and PBR?
- Is PBR the optimal method for incentivizing the transition toward clean energy by utilities?
- How will PBR affect rates for C&I and residential customers? How will it affect utility operations?
- Thoughts on key next steps for the industry to take
Travis Kavulla, Vice President, Regulatory Affairs, NRG Energy
Bridget Dockter, Manager of Policy & Outreach, Xcel Energy
Dr. Carl Linvill, Principal, Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP)
Moderators: David South, Ross Hemphill, Amanda Aweh
Vice President, Regulatory Affairs
NRG Energy
Travis Kavulla is Vice President of Regulatory Affairs at NRG Energy, where he works to ensure that energy markets continue to deliver value for electricity consumers. Travis Kavulla joined NRG after a decade of work as a government regulator and energy policy expert. Before joining NRG, Travis held a position at R Street Institute, where he led the think tank's energy and environmental policy program. Prior to that, Travis served eight years as a utility commissioner at the Montana Public Service Commission, during which time he served as the President of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) and as a member of the Electric Power Research Institute advisory council. He also had the opportunity to serve on the governing body of the Western Energy Imbalance Market, one of North America's largest electricity markets. During his work in public life, Travis has written dozens of articles and speeches on energy and telecommunications policy and regulation. Travis has a master's degree in history from the University of Cambridge, where he was a Gates Scholar, and a bachelor's degree in history from Harvard University.
Commissioner
Hawaii Public Utilities Commission
Jennifer M. Potter was appointed to the Public Utilities Commission by Governor Ige in March 2018. Commissioner Potter was previously a faculty member at the Hawaii Natural Energy Institute (HNEI), an independent research institute within the University of Hawaii, where she conducted research on demand response, Distributed Energy Resource (DERs) technologies, locational benefits of DERs, and energy efficiency. Prior to joining HNEI, Commissioner Potter was a Sr. Scientific Engineering Associate in the Electricity Market and Policy group at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, where she was the project lead on the 2025 California Demand Response Potential Study for the California Public Utilities Commission. During her tenure, she conducted a number of studies on demand response and integrated demand side management for the U.S. Department of Energy. Commissioner Potter previously worked at Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) as the Project Manager on SMUD's SmartSacramento team working on the Department of Energy's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funded Consumer Behavior Study, known as SmartPricing Options pricing pilot. While at SMUD, she also worked as the Customer Strategy Planner for residential and small commercial EE and DR programs, as well as serving as the Enterprise Performance Data Manager. Commissioner Potter also worked as the Principal Market Analyst in the Pricing and Resource Planning department at SMUD. Prior to her time at SMUD, Commissioner Potter worked at City of Roseville, Roseville Electric, as the principal load and revenue forecaster, load researcher, and business analyst for the utility. Commissioner Potter holds a Master of Science in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University and a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies and Economics from Southern Oregon University.
Manager of Policy & Outreach
Xcel Energy
Bridget Dockter is the Manager of Policy & Outreach at Xcel Energy based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Bridget is a seasoned utility professional with over 20 years in the energy industry, much of it in policy and regulatory roles in a variety of areas including growing Xcel Energy's demand side management program, breaking ground with performance-based rates, and most recently -- developing programs designed to help customers on economic recovery as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Bridget also held a pioneering role, leading a unique city-utility collaboration called the Minneapolis Clean Energy Partnership. Bridget has a Master of Business Administration from Hamline University.
President
RCHemphill Solutions LLC
Ross C. Hemphill, PhD is President of RCHemphill Solutions LLC, an economic consulting and research firm in Saint Charles, Illinois. Ross was Vice President of Regulatory Policy & Strategy for Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd) until the end of 2015. In that capacity he was responsible for revenue policy including the development of annual revenue requirements; retail rates including the development and implementation of ComEd's pricing policy; analysis of strategic policy options for ComEd's distribution business; and, the monitoring of regulatory compliance throughout the company. Ross' entire 35-year career has been devoted to energy and regulatory policy with a primary focus on rate-making theory and practice. His experience has included working, both directly and as a consultant, for utilities, research institutions and regulatory agencies. Ross has published articles on utility economics and pricing design in Electricity Journal, Public Utilities Fortnightly and Resources and Energy, as well as reports for the Electric Power Research Institute, Edison Electric Institute, the National Regulatory Research Institute and American Public Power Association. He holds a doctorate in resource economics from The Ohio State University, a master's degree in economics from Indiana State University, and a bachelor's degree in economics from Lewis University.
Principal
Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP)
Dr. Carl Linvill is a principal with RAP's U.S. team, and is based in Davis, CA. With his expertise in power sector markets, procurement, and planning, he leads RAP's work on renewable energy integration and transmission planning in the Western United States. Dr. Linvill focuses on distributed generation valuation and tariffs, as well as regional reliability solutions. Prior to joining RAP, Dr. Linvill served as a public utilities commissioner in Nevada, the economic and energy advisor to Nevada Governor Kenny Guinn, an academic economist at the Sam Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas, and director of integrated energy analysis and planning with Aspen Environmental Group. More recent activities include serving as chairman of the Modeling Data Task Force for the Scenario Planning Steering Group at the Western Electric Coordinating Council, as principal author of Western Grid 2050 for the Western Grid Group, and as a member of the California Energy Commission Demand Forecast Expert Panel. While an academic, he presented microeconomic theory, game theory, and managerial economics, and produced peer reviewed publications in the Journal of Regulatory Economics, the European Journal of Operational Research, the Journal of Productivity Analysis, the International Journal of Industrial Organization, and the Journal of Comparative Economics. Dr. Linvill received his bachelor's degree in mathematics and economics from the University of California at Davis, and his doctorate in economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Senior Principal - Energy & Utilities
West Monroe Partners
David has more than 40 years' experience as a private sector consultant and government researcher on emerging energy and environmental regulatory, market, policy and technology topics. He has devised and assessed performance-based rates (PBR), performance-based incentive mechanisms for various conventional and distributed energy technologies, constructed customer engagement programs for various advanced rate structures, and contributed to innovative program and rate structures for distributed energy, demand response and energy efficiency. David brings a holistic and innovative perspective to problem solving, including the assessment of their sustainability implications and value. He joined West Monroe in 2013 where he is a Senior Principal in its Energy & Utilities Practice and leads its enterprise Sustainability Team.
Manager - Energy and Utilities
West Monroe Partners
Amanda Aweh is a manager in West Monroe's Energy & Utilities consulting practice, with 10 years of experience in the energy industry. Amanda has worked with utilities across the US on demand response, demand side management, and advanced rate programs, electric vehicle and fleet projects, Smart Grid enablement, regulatory filings, operations optimization, and business case development for AMI. Prior to West Monroe, Amanda was the Project Manager of the Default Time Of Use Pilot at Pacific Gas and Electric Company, where she led the implementation of a one-year, 160,000 customer default Time of Use pilot, developing the operational implementation, change management strategy, customer outreach and education campaign, and measurement and evaluation of the load shift, load reduction, and consumer understanding. At PG&E she has also served in the roles of Program Manager, Residential Rate Reform; Project Manager: SunShot Race to 7 Day Solar; and Emergency Operations Center Advanced Planner. Amanda holds a Master of Industrial and Operations Engineering and an MBA from the University of Michigan, as well as BS in accounting and operations from Boston University.
- Ability to attend sessions live and participate in Q&A discussion with speakers
- PDF copy of presentations
- Attendee list
- Text transcript of all presentations and discussions
- Link to recorded presentations post-conference (audio, PPT and video)
Powered by GoToMeeting, the webinar allows for live interaction between speakers and fellow attendees via audio, video, and text chat. Attendees have the opportunity to view the attendee list and set up meetings & introductions with fellow registrants, facilitated by SGO. Recordings of all presentations and discussions will be available afterward for on-demand viewing by registered participants for three months.