Managing Consultant
Sumin Wang

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Sumin Wang

Sumin Wang joined E3’s distributed energy resources group in 2019, where she helps utilities, developers, system operators, and state agencies solve challenges related to renewables integration. Her work focuses on modeling and analyzing the economics of renewables to achieve carbon reduction goals and improve system resiliency.

Sumin recently earned her Master of Environmental Management degree from Duke University. As an intern with Rocky Mountain Institute, she built an optimization model to identify least-cost electrification strategies for communities in Africa. In summer 2018, as an EDF Climate Corps Fellow in China, she quantified the emissions reduction potential of improving the energy efficiency of household appliances.

Sumin is passionate about decarbonization and enthusiastic about joining a company that unites her interests and education in energy, economics, and the environment. A native of China, she hopes her work will ultimately promote best practices around the world.

On weekends, Sumin enjoys hiking and camping, spending time with friends, and volunteering.

Education: MEM, Duke University; BS, management science and BS, earth sciences, University of California, San Diego

Publications

Projects

Net Zero Carbon Pathways Study | Omaha Public Power District, 2021

To support the development of its 2021 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), Omaha Public Power District (OPPD) engaged E3 to perform a comprehensive study on various pathways for OPPD to achieve net zero carbon by 2050. With a goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050, OPPD sought a study to understand different pathways to achieve their target emissions, reliability, costs, and generation. E3’s study consisted of three primary phases: multi-sector modeling using the E3 PATHWAYS model to develop multiple electricity sector demand forecasts; reliability and resiliency analysis using the E3 RECAP model; and portfolio optimization using the E3 RESOLVE model to develop cost-optimal electricity portfolios that achieved both net-zero carbon and target reliability by 2050. E3 found that OPPD can achieve net zero while balancing affordability and reliability and that all net zero pathways require a cessation of coal generation and reduced use of fossil generation. A mix of new low-carbon resources including renewable energy, energy storage, and community-wide energy efficiency will be required as well as firm capacity resources, which will be needed to maintain resource adequacy.

Publications

Avoided Cost Model for evaluating DER programs | CPUC, 2004–present

Since 2004, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has used E3’s Avoided Cost Model (ACM) to estimate the benefits of energy efficiency, distributed generation, energy storage, and other distributed energy resources (DERs). The ACM has evolved along with energy markets and policy in the West, and it currently projects avoided costs for energy, losses, generation capacity, ancillary services, subtransmission and distribution capacity, renewable portfolio standard purchases, carbon allowances, and other air permit costs. The 30-year hourly forecast is differentiated across California’s 16 climate zones. Since 2019, E3 has provided ongoing support to refine the CPUC’s cost-effectiveness framework for distributed energy resources, expanding the applications of the Avoided Cost Calculator to include the cost-effectiveness of California’s entire DER portfolio.

The CPUC approves over $1 billion in annual funding for DERs using these avoided costs for its cost-effectiveness tests. The ACM is suitable for stakeholder processes and contentious regulatory proceedings because it uses robust methods and publicly available input data. E3 also allows the download of the ACM so that all stakeholders can audit any of the calculations.

Publications


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