CRA conducted an industry leading study (July 2020) for a coalition of investor owned utilities and electric cooperatives to evaluate the costs and benefits of operating a proposed intra-hour bilateral energy trading market in the U.S. Southeast. The proposed market “Southeast Energy Exchange Market” or “SEEM” is currently under regulatory consideration. The study conducted in partnership with Guidehouse, found that under the current market design and forecasting assumptions, market participants could save approximately $40 million annually compared to a null case scenario (no “SEEM”); the study found potential savings could rise to over $100 million per year under a carbon constrained forecasting scenario. Experts Robert Lee and David DesLauriers led CRA’s effort in this engagement.
The regulator’s balancing act: Data centers’ impact on affordability, reliability, and sustainability
Surging demand for data center capacity requires significant and rapid investments in generation and delivery infrastructure