Developing the Western US Power Grid through Markets

Electricity demand is growing across the Western United States as economies boom and the transition to electrified transportation and buildings begins. At the same time, state policies are rapidly transforming the mix of power generation sources, from fossil fueled to carbon free. The grid across the Western US has long been interconnected, but its operation has been disunited, with dozens of utilities having responsibility for their individual territories. Regional stakeholders have come to recognize that the lower-carbon grid of the future requires more coordination that is institutionalized through markets. This presentation will discuss the drivers of the current trend toward cooperation, the ongoing success of the Western Energy Imbalance Market and efforts underway to establish a west-wide market operator.

Andrew Campbell is Executive Director of the Energy Institute at Haas at the University of California, Berkeley and serves as a Governing Body Member for the Western Energy Imbalance Market. At the Energy Institute Mr. Campbell serves as a bridge between the research community and business and policy leaders on energy economics and policy topics. Prior to UC Berkeley, Mr. Campbell worked for residential energy management company, Tendril, and grid sensor provider, Sentient Energy. For five years Mr. Campbell served as an advisor at the California Public Utilities Commission. There he led successful efforts on grid modernization and data access, electric vehicle charging, demand response and dynamic pricing. Mr. Campbell has also worked in Citigroup’s Global Energy Group and as a reservoir engineer with ExxonMobil. Mr. Campbell earned bachelor’s degrees in Chemical Engineering and Economics from Rice University and a Master in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School.

Friday, November 18, 2022
Andrew Campbell, Executive Director, Energy Institute at Haas, University of California, Berkeley
Attend Online (passcode=ucdenergy)