Dr. Fox-Penner specializes in economic, regulatory, and strategic issues in network industries. His practice centers on energy and environmental policies and electric regulation, planning, and competition issues.
Dr. Fox-Penner is a Professor of the Practice at the Boston University Questrom School of Business, where he is leading the creation of a university-wide Institute for Sustainable Energy. He is also an academic advisor to The Brattle Group and chief strategy officer of Energy Impact Partners, a private equity firm. His practice centers on energy and environmental policies and electric regulation, planning, and competition issues. He is also experienced in the natural gas, communications, transportation, and environmental industries and is a frequent expert witness on these issues. His research has been widely cited, including in one Supreme Court decision. Drawing upon his expertise as a utility consultant, he is often asked to lead strategic planning projects and board level strategy sessions for utilities across the U.S. and abroad.
Dr. Fox-Penner is a frequent speaker on energy topics and the author of numerous published articles and books, including the highly acclaimed Smart Power: Climate Change, the Smart Grid, and the Future of Electric Utilities (Island Press, 2010). In Smart Power, he provides an in-depth look at the policy and business challenges electric utilities face due to the combined impacts of climate change, the smart grid, and energy efficiency policies.
Dr. Fox-Penner’s background includes service as a senior official in the U.S. Department of Energy and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy as well as staff positions in the Illinois Governor’s office. In addition to his consulting practice, Dr. Fox-Penner is on the board of directors of The Solar Foundation and the advisory boards of Enviance, Inc. and Gridpoint. He is also an occasional guest blogger on Climate Progress and The Huffington Post.
Assisted several utilities with strategic planning and is often retained to lead board-level strategy sessions addressing the evolving business model of the utility. Invited to join several non-profit industry groups who are also convening sessions focused on the utility of the future, including Ron Binz’s Utilities 2020 and The Energy Future Coalition’s Utilities 2.0 projects.
Hired to assist utility teams in developing programs to reinforce utility infrastructure to increase resiliency and reduce outages. Projects include cost-benefit analysis of potential investments and asset optimization analysis.
Part of a Brattle team hired by one of the large utilities to analyze the potential impact of imperfect market design on the efficiency of the cap and trade system implemented under AB32.
Analysis of Benefits: PSE&G’s Energy Strong Program, by Peter Fox-Penner and William P. Zarakas. In the Matter of the Petition of Public Service Electric and Gas Company for Approval of the Energy Strong Program, NJ BPU Docket No. EO13020155 and GO13020156.
October 7, 2013
Prepared Direct Testimony on behalf of the California Parties re: the examination of two aspects of the Respondents’ spot market sales activities to CERS during the CERS Period, before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Docket No. EL01-10-085
September 21, 2012
Prepared Direct Testimony on behalf of the California Parties re: tariff violations affected MCP, before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Docket No. EL00-95-248
August 25, 2011
Before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Docket No. RM10-23-000, Filed Comments re: Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Transmission Planning and Cost Allocation by Transmission Owning and Operating Public Utilities
September 29, 2010
Filed Comments of Peter S. Fox-Penner, Johannes P. Pfeifenberger, and Delphine Hou, FERC Docket No. AD09-8-000, re: regional transmission planning and cost allocation
December 17, 2009
Rebuttal testimony of Drs. Fox-Penner and Reynolds on behalf of the State of California,
ex rel. Bill Lockyer, Attorney General of the State of California, before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Docket No. EL02-71-000
December 17, 2009
Statement of Dr. Peter S. Fox-Penner, Principal and Chairman Emeritus, The Brattle Group, before the Natural Resources Committee, National Governors Association
July 19, 2009
Testimony of Dr. Peter S. Fox-Penner and Gerald A. Taylor on Behalf of the California Parties – analysis of sellers’ in markets operated by CAISO and CALPX, before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Docket No. EL00-95-000, et al
May 26, 2009
Testimony of Dr. Peter S. Fox-Penner on Behalf of the People of the State of California,
ex rel. Edmund G. Brown, Jr., Attorney General – (examined seller behavior in bilateral spot market sales to CERS), before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Docket No. EL09-_-000, et al
May 23, 2009
Rebuttal testimony on behalf of the Public Service Company of Colorado Regulatory Treatment in Electric Utility Rate Cases, before the Public Utilities Commission of the State of Colorado, Docket No. 08S- 520E
March 20, 2009
Direct Testimony on behalf of the Public Service Company of Colorado regarding Regulatory Treatment in Electric Utility Rate Cases, before the Public Utilities Commission of the State of Colorado, Docket No. 08S- 520E
November 14, 2008
Rebuttal testimony on behalf of Public Service Company of Colorado responding to the question of vertical integration vs. reliance of purchased power by Xcel Energy, before the Public Utilities Commission of the State of Colorado, Docket No. 07A-447E
June 9, 2008
Affidavit on behalf of Nevada Power Company analyzing the competitive effects of Nevada Power’s acquisition of Bighorn power plant on wholesale competition, before the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Docket No. EC08--000
May 30, 2008
Declaration, on behalf of California Parties, demonstrating evidence of sellers’ exercise of market power, including evidence of gaming, withholding, and anomalous bidding, and explaining why “market-wide relief” is an economically appropriate way to compensate buyers who purchase power in markets where prices are profoundly affected by the exercise and abuse of market power. Before the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Docket No. EL02-71-004
April 21, 2008
Peter serves on a number of boards and has extensive management and advisory experience, including:
- Board of Directors, the Solar Foundation (2010-Fall 2012)
- Advisory Board, Enviance, Inc. (provider of greenhouse gas, environmental life cycle cost, and supply chain management software) (2007-present)
- Advisory Board, Gridpoint, Inc. (smart grid and energy efficiency firm) (2009-2012)
- Co-founder and Vice Chair, ENpartners LLC (greentech advisory and PE firm)
- Past Advisor to the Center for National Policy and Progressive Policy Institute (1996-2007)