GTM Forum: Energy Storage vs. Gas

What does the Future hold for Peaker Plants?

Energy storage offers a promising alternative to natural gas peaking plants, given storage's ability to shave peaks and respond almost instantaneously to grid signals. In recent months alone, storage has won big capacity bids in numerous markets, bids that were virtually unimaginable not too long ago. But what does the increasing role of energy storage as peaker replacement mean for investments in new combustion turbine, or even combined cycle plants, and gas pipelines? Are these assets destined to be stranded by next decade, or sooner?

Speakers

Shawn Bennett

Senior Advisor, U.S. Air Force Office of Energy Assurance (OEA)

Mr. Shawn Bennett, Senior Advisor, Air Force Office of Energy Assurance (OEA), Washington, D.C., develops resiliency solutions at Air Force installations, primarily through the procurement and development of utility-scale generation and microgrids. In addition, he is leading a solicitation process to demonstrate a new "Energy-as-a-Service" business model that seeks to achieve comprehensive energy solutions at Air Force installations. He is currently on a detail assignment from the Federal Energy Regulation Commission (FERC).
Prior to his assignment with OEA, Mr. Bennett served in various roles at FERC, most recently as branch chief in the Division of Analytics and Surveillance. In this role, he managed a team tasked with statistically analyzing and reviewing company transactional data in electric and natural gas markets to evaluate for potential market manipulation. Prior to this role, he served as technical advisor to Commissioner John Norris, to whom he provided policy recommendations to support competitive energy markets and energy infrastructure development.
Mr. Bennett began his career as an engineer with Siemens and served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Nepal.

Laura R. Walter

Lead Market Strategist, Emerging Markets Department, PJM Interconnection

Ms. Walter evaluates strategic market design and economic issues for PJM, including quantitative and qualitative analytical support on topics that impact PJM strategy, including state and federal policy initiatives, technological advances and broader economic trends. Ms. Walter focuses on market design and economic trends in electricity markets and grid operations. Currently, Laura is leading a team to implement FERC Order 841: Electric Storage Participation in Markets Operated by RTOs and ISOs in PJM.

Previous roles at PJM included stints in Performance Compliance, Market Analysis and Finance. Prior to joining PJM in 2008, Ms. Walter worked in Commodity Supply Planning at FirstEnergy Solutions and Rates and Regulatory Affairs at FirstEnergy Corp. Ms. Walter earned a Master’s degree in economics from Kent State University.

Ms. Walter has a passion for STEM education; she is the Chair of the Mid-Atlantic Women's International Networking Utility Professionals and the Vice Chair of the PJM STEAM Employee Resource Group.

PJM Interconnection, founded in 1927, ensures the reliability of the high-voltage electric power system serving 65 million people in all or parts of Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia. PJM coordinates and directs the operation of the region’s transmission grid, which includes over 84,042 miles of transmission lines; administers a competitive wholesale electricity market; and plans regional transmission expansion improvements to maintain grid reliability and relieve congestion. PJM’s regional grid and market operations produce annual savings of $2.8 billion to $3.1 billion. For the latest news about PJM, visit PJM Inside Lines at insidelines.pjm.com.

Mia Adams

Senior Manager, Market Strategy, MISO

Mia collaborates with internal and external stakeholder groups to synthesize market insights and guide the prioritization of investments for the development of new market products. MISO’s markets clear more than $37 billion dollars in energy transactions annually. With an evolving fleet, market strategy focuses on what new products are needed to continue to drive non-discriminatory market efficiency and price transparency, aligned with grid reliability, and also send appropriate price signals to guide investment decisions. Prior to MISO, Mia worked at 3M in Corporate Strategy and in Global Sustainability in Corporate R&D on innovating new products to address major world challenges like climate change and water scarcity. Earlier experiences were gained at Gamesa in wind farm development and in management consulting for market strategy for clean tech and renewable energy clients. Mia has a Masters in Sustainability and Environmental Management from Harvard University, an MBA from the University of Minnesota and a B.A. in Communications and Swedish from North Park University.

Abraham Silverman

General Counsel, New Jersey Board of Public Utilities

Landon Stevens

Policy Director for Commissioner Andy Tobin, Arizona Corporation Commission

Landon Stevens is the Policy Director for Commissioner Andy Tobin at the Arizona Corporation Commission. He is the principle author of the recently proposed Arizona Energy Modernization Plan which would see Arizona get 80 percent of its energy from clean sources by 2030 while also setting the nation’s largest energy storage target and adopting a ‘clean peak standard’ for regulated utilities.
Landon previously directed research at an academic think tank focusing on energy and environmental policy and was the Director of Policy for the Institute for Energy Research in Washington D.C. Landon earned a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University and his Master’s in Public Policy from George Mason University.

Kelly Speakes-Backman

CEO, Energy Storage Association (ESA)

Kelly Speakes-Backman is the first CEO of the Energy Storage Association. Kelly has spent over 20 years working in energy and environmental issues in the public, NGO and private sectors, including organizations such as United Technologies, SunEdison and Alliance to Save Energy. She is a former Commissioner of the Maryland Public Service Commission where she also served as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, co-vice chair of the NARUC Committee on Energy Resources and the Environment, and member of the EPRI Energy Efficiency & Grid Modernization Public Advisory Group. She is a mechanical engineer from Boston University.

Rana Mukerji

Senior Vice President - Market Structures, NYISO

Rana Mukerji is responsible for the Market Design; Product and Project Management; Strategic and Business Planning; Research and Development; and Market Training teams.
Mr. Mukerji joined the NYISO in 2006. Previously, he spent several years as a global leader for ABB’s Utility T&D Services, Asset Management and Consulting businesses in North Carolina and Zurich. He also played a key role as General Manager for GE’s Power Systems Energy Consulting Division.
He earned a B.S in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, a M.S. in Electric Power Engineering and a M.B.A. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He is a graduate of Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program. Mr. Mukerji is also a NY registered Professional Engineer.

Swami Venkataraman, CFA

Senior Vice President, ESG Analytics and Integration, Moody's Investors Service

Swami Venkataraman manages the development of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) analytic tools, assessments and the integration of ESG considerations into Moody’s credit ratings and research. As senior vice president-manager in Moody’s ESG group, he also leads Moody’s global renewable energy task force, is a member of the Infrastructure Finance Franchise Committee, and a ratings chair for the North American utilities and infrastructure ratings team.

Before moving to the ESG team, Venkataraman was a lead analyst in the North American utilities and infrastructure team since 2014. Prior to joining Moody’s, Swami was a director of project & export finance at Standard Chartered Bank in Mumbai, India, responsible for business development and execution of project and export credit financings in Asia covering power, renewable energy, and other infrastructure sectors. One of his solar PV projects won the “PFI Asia-Pacific Renewables deal of the year” award in 2013.

Venkataraman has broad expertise in energy and infrastructure, especially clean energy, across geographies over the past 20 years. He is a CFA charterholder, with a B.Tech in Electronics and Communications Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras and an M.B.A. in finance and information systems from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Calcutta.

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