M-RCBG Senior Fellow-Led Study Group: Judy Chang
POSTPONED to Wednesday, March 1, 2:30-4:00pm, B-503 (M-RCBG Conference Room)
Tuesday, February 28, 1:00-2:30pm, Littauer-332
While conversations about how the U.S. will transition to using clean sources of electricity to help power a clean economy are on-going, there are numerous barriers to achieving that vision and plan. In this session, Judy Chang and Sheri Givens will discuss why deploying clean electricity systems face significant barriers even when the costs of wind and solar generation have significantly decreased in the last decade. This discussion will highlight the challenges at the “wholesale” bulk power market level and the “retail” distribution system level, and discuss what is at stake and the efforts necessary to meet the challenge.
The following topics will be addressed:
- The structure of today’s wholesale electricity markets and reforms needed to accommodate clean energy deployment
- The importance of investing in regional and interregional transmission system
- The Efforts of local electric distribution companies in integrating distributed energy resources (such as solar PV and energy storage) at the local level
- Modernization of the electric infrastructure
Sheri Givens is the President and CEO of Smart Electric Power Alliance. SEPA is a nonprofit trade-association of electric companies that envisions a carbon-free energy system that is safe, affordable, reliable, resilient and equitable. Learn more .
This study group /discussion is open to all. Registration is not necessary.
M-RCBG welcomes individuals with disabilities to participate in its programs. To request accommodations or ask questions about access provided, please email: mrcbg@hks.harvard.edu
Judy Chang is former Undersecretary of Energy and Climate Solutions for Massachusetts. In that role, she had been leading Massachusetts’ effort in setting policies across the energy sector in the state, working across agencies in aligning the strategies and plans for decarbonization and climate mitigation. Ms. Chang is an energy economist and policy expert with a background in electrical engineering. Prior to joining Massachusetts’ Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, she co-led the energy practice at The Brattle Group, an economic consulting company, based in Boston, with global presence. Ms. Chang has over 20 years of experience in advising energy companies on regulatory and financial issues, particularly as they relate to investment decisions in transmission, clean energy, and storage. Ms. Chang has submitted expert testimonies to the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, U.S. state, and Canadian provincial regulatory authorities on topics related to resource planning; power purchase and sale agreements; and transmission planning, access, and pricing. She has authored numerous reports and articles detailing the economic issues associated with generation and transmission investments; clean energy development; energy storage; and system planning. In addition, she had worked closely with executives and board members of numerous energy companies in developing their corporate strategies. Ms. Chang has presented at a variety of industry conferences and graduate school seminars on energy and environmental policies, including at Harvard Law School, Harvard Kennedy School, Tuft’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and MIT’s Sloan School of Management. In addition, she has been on the External Advisory Board of Future of Storage with MIT Energy Initiative. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from University of California at Davis and a Master of Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School. She is a founding Board member of New England Women in Energy and the Environment. While an M-RCBG Senior Fellow, Ms. Chang will work on a project, Decarbonization of Buildings in the U.S.: The Roles of Government and Private Investors. Her faculty sponsors are William Hogan, Raymond Plank Research Professor of Global Energy Policy at Harvard Kennedy School and Henry Lee, Director of Environmental and Natural Resource Program and Senior Research Associate Senior Lecturer in Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School. Email: judychang@hks.harvard.edu