Samuel A. Newell
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principal
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Boston
Dr. Newell leads Brattle’s Electricity Group of over 50 consultants addressing the most challenging economic questions facing an industry transforming to clean energy. His expertise centers on electricity wholesale markets, market design, generation asset valuation, integrated resource planning, and transmission planning. He frequently provides testimony and expert reports to Independent System Operators (ISOs), the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), state regulatory commissions, and the American Arbitration Association.
Recent engagements include:
- Fleet transformation. To inform NYISO’s inquiries into future market design and reliability needs, simulated investment and operations to meet New York’s mandates for 70% renewable electricity by 2030 and 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040.
- Carbon pricing. For NYISO, evaluation incorporating carbon charges into the wholesale energy market to harmonize state policies and markets, and to lower the costs of reducing emissions.
- Energy & ancillary services markets with high renewable penetration. For ERCOT, evaluated its proposed Future Ancillary Services market design. Has advising the Australian Energy Market Operator on market design.
- Wholesale market design for resource adequacy. For PJM, ERCOT, MISO, ISO-NE, and NYISO, evaluated their markets’ ability to efficiently maintain resource adequacy. Recommended improvements to energy scarcity pricing, capacity demand curves, and competition among resource types. Currently leading the design of a new Forward Capacity Market for the Singapore Energy Market Authority.
- Generation asset valuation. Projected future cash flows to support investment decisions in battery storage systems, renewable generation, and natural gas-fired generation. Assessed market-related and asset-specific risks.
- Integrated resource planning (IRP). Led the analysis for several IRPs for the Connecticut electric utilities and Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Assessed the adequacy of electric supply and natural gas transportation; simulated electricity markets and analyzed strategies for meeting policy goals cost-effectively, supporting an increase in funding for energy efficiency programs.
- Transmission benefit-cost analyses. Submitted testimony to FERC on the public policy, congestion relief, and reliability benefits of several proposed transmission lines. Addressed a wider array of benefits than the simple “production cost savings” in most analyses.
- Contract disputes. Provided testimony on damages for a client that had acquired a demand response (DR) company that it alleged has overstated its assets and capabilities.
Prior to joining The Brattle Group, Dr. Newell was Director of the Transmission Service at Cambridge Energy Research Associates. Before that, he was a Manager in the Utilities Practice at A.T. Kearney.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
PhD in Technology Management and Policy
Stanford University
MS in Materials Science and Engineering
Harvard University
AB in Chemistry and Physics
Testimony
Post-technical conference comments and testimony of Kathleen Spees and Samual A. Newell before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, "Modernizing Electricity Market Design – Efficiently Managing Net Load Variability in High-Renewable Systems: Designing Ramping Products to Attract and Leverage Flexible Resources," Docket No. AD21-10-000.
Written testimony of Kathleen Spees and Samuel A. Newell before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on behalf of the Natural Resource Defense Council, the Sustainable FERC Project, Earthjustice, Sierra Club, and the Union of Concerned Scientists, regarding the economic impacts of the expansive minimum offer price rule within the PJM capacity market, Docket No. ER21-2582-000.
Written testimony of Kathleen Spees and Samuel Newell before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on behalf of the Natural Resource Defense Council, the Sustainable FERC Project, Earthjustice, Sierra Club, American Wind Energy Association, Alliance for Clean Energy New York, and Advanced Energy Economy, regarding the economic impacts of buyer side mitigation in the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) capacity market, Docket No. EL21-7-000
Direct testimony of Kathleen Spees and Samuel Newell before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on behalf of Dominion Energy Services, regarding the need for a self-supply exemption from minimum offer price and other policy-supported resource rules, Docket Nos. EL16-49-000, ER18-1314-000, ER18-1314-001, and ER18-178-000
