Partner
Lakshmi Alagappan

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Lakshmi Alagappan

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Lakshmi Alagappan joined E3 in 2008. She directs work across our asset valuation and long-term planning groups and manages much of the high-voltage transmission analysis.

Lakshmi led the benefits analyses for several high-voltage transmission projects that were approved by the California ISO. These analyses helped shape the process that California agencies use to evaluate the need for transmission projects. She has also assisted independent transmission companies with bids to construct new projects under FERC Order 1000. In addition, she has developed business models for utilities to transition towards integrating higher penetrations of distributed energy resources, and translated the lessons learned from the United States on renewable integration to international contexts. Her recent clients include the CAISO, TransCanyon, and the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners.

Within E3’s international practice, Lakshmi leads the firm’s work in India. She is currently co-leading a project on regulatory assistance for renewable integration in India. She has also completed projects in Canada and Mexico.

Raised in New York, Lakshmi is excited about bringing E3’s services to the northeastern U.S. She enjoys working with some of the brightest minds—both colleagues and clients—on many of the most exciting and leading-edge projects in the constantly evolving electricity industry.

Education: MS, civil and environmental engineering; and BA, economics, Stanford University

Publications

Projects

Resource Adequacy in the Desert Southwest

In the aftermath of recent blackouts in California and Texas, the subjects of reliability and resource adequacy have risen to national prominence. Regulators and policymakers – as well as the general public and media – have taken a keen interest in these topics, and many have questioned whether the industry is adequately prepared to confront […]

Publications

Ratepayer benefit analysis | Delaney to Colorado River transmission line, 2012–14

E3 helped Berkshire Hathaway Transmission and Pinnacle West win approval from the board of the California ISO (CAISO) for a new 500 kV transmission project linking Arizona and Southern California. The Delaney to Colorado River (DCR) transmission line was the first economically driven transmission project approved by CAISO: Using CAISO’s Transmission Economic Assessment Methodology, E3 projected ratepayer benefits of $20 million to $30 million per year. E3 worked with CAISO staff to implement the correct network topology and provided information to help ensure that the CAISO’s GridView case included planned infrastructure additions needed for compliance with California’s clean energy policy. E3 also developed an approach for estimating capital cost savings based on the deferral of generation investments allowed by the DCR line; CAISO has adopted this approach in evaluating all future transmission projects.

Transmission planning support, strategy, and financial analysis | TransCanyon, 2014–present

Since 2014, E3 has supported TransCanyon, a joint venture between Berkshire Hathaway and Pinnacle West, in developing high-voltage transmission in the Western Interconnection. We provide strategic advice and analysis for investment opportunities, help curate and prioritize TransCanyon’s project portfolio, and articulate how electricity sector policies will impact its transmission development business throughout the western U.S. E3 draws on the knowledge base within all our practice areas and our most recent pricing forecasts to provide insights on TransCanyon’s investment outlook.

Assessing benefits and challenges of the Western EIM

he grid in the western U.S. is a patchwork of 38 balancing authorities. Each balances its loads and resources independently, exchanging energy through bilateral trades. This inefficient system is being strained with the growing presence of variable resources such as wind and solar. In 2011, the Western Electric Coordinating Council (WECC) engaged E3 to quantify […]


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