E3 has completed individual integrated resource plans for numerous utilities. This work is facilitated by a suite of spreadsheet-based resource planning tools E3 developed to calculate the cost and risk of procuring energy resources that meet the utility's reliability, financial risk, renewable resource, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions targets, and demand-side management goals. These costs and risks are evaluated under a broad range of alternative load growth, market price, and environmental regulation scenarios.
Alternative resource plans always involve tradeoffs among multiple goals such as cost, reliability, risk and environmental impact, and the selection of a preferred plan requires the application of a substantial degree of judgment. E3 provides the best available information to help its clients evaluate these tradeoffs and select their own preferred resource plans.
The Resource Planning practice includes:- Integrated Resource Planning
- Energy and Capacity Planning
- Intermittent Resource Evaluation
- Integration of Demand-Side programs: demand response and distributed generation
- Portfolio Analysis (risk, cost, reliability, emissions)
- Market Price Forecasting
Contact: Ren Orans or Arne Olson
Sample Projects +Long-Term Procurement Planning in California. E3 is currently assisting the CPUC in developing a comprehensive and standardized resource planning process for the three large California IOUs. By leading public workshops and ad-hoc consultations with stakeholders including utilities, regulatory staff, environmental and rate-payer organizations, independent power producers, renewable technology developers, and others, E3 had developed a consensus approach to the re-design of the resource planning process in California. Following E3’s recommendations, California’s three large IOUs will now work collaboratively to create a statewide procurement plan based on a common set of assumptions.
Development of Idaho Energy Plan. E3 advised the Idaho Legislative Council in developing Idaho’s first comprehensive, statewide energy plan in 25 years. The Interim Committee and subcommittees held 18 days of public meetings and received input from dozens of members of the public in developing state-level energy policy recommendations. E3 served as technical facilitator for these meetings. This process culminated in E3 drafting the 2007 Idaho Energy Plan, which was approved by the Legislature and adopted as the official state energy plan in March 2007. The Energy Plan recommends specific state actions to promote the development of conservation and renewable energy in Idaho, while maintaining Idaho’s low-cost energy advantage.
IRP for PNGC Power. E3 conducted PNGC Power’s first Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) in 2006. PNGC Power is an 800-MW Generation and Transmission cooperative based in Portland, Oregon, that manages BPA contracts and generating resources on behalf of fifteen member utilities in western states. PNGC Power’s IRP considered a variety of resource alternatives including coal, gas, geothermal, wind and conservation resources as well as several different potential BPA rate products.
Coos Curry IRP. E3 conducted an IRP on behalf of Coos-Curry Electric Cooperative, a 100-MW electric cooperative based in Port Orford, Oregon. Coos-Curry’s IRP considered several different resource, conservation and BPA rate product options.
