Samuel A. Newell
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principal
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Boston
Dr. Newell leads Brattle’s Electricity Practice of 55 consultants addressing the most challenging economic questions facing an industry transforming to clean energy.
His expertise centers on wholesale electricity 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 legislatures, state courts, and the American Arbitration Association.
Representative engagements include:
- Contract disputes. Providing expert testimony in several ongoing disputes regarding responsibility for ERCOT charges incurred during Winter Storm Uri. Provided testimony on damages for a client that had acquired a demand response (DR) company that it alleged had overstated its assets and capabilities.
- 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, evaluated incorporating carbon charges into its wholesale energy market to harmonize with state policies and lower the costs of reducing emissions.
- Clean energy policies. To inform a trade group’s advocacy, conducted US-wide simulations evaluating the implications of different potential tax credits on renewable development, costs, and emissions. Provided testimony to the CA Senate on the emissions, reliability, and cost savings of extending the life of the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant (contributing to legislation).
- Energy & ancillary services markets with high renewable penetration. For ERCOT, evaluated its proposed Future Ancillary Services market design. Advised the Australian Energy Market Operator on market design. Currently assisting MISO in identifying market/regulatory solutions for grid reliability needs in a higher renewable future.
- 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. Co-led the design of a new Forward Capacity Market for Singapore’s Energy Market Authority. Consulted to the Texas PUC on market reforms to improve reliability after Winter Storm Uri. Currently supporting the MA AG office regarding reforms to resource accreditation in the ISO-NE capacity market.
- Clean energy procurements. Supported a state agency in structuring and evaluating bids for a major clean energy procurement; supported an offshore wind developer in a successful bid to win a state procurement, informing its exposures to energy market prices and future capacity value.
- 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 the 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.
Prior to joining The Brattle Group in 2004, Dr. Newell was the Director of the Transmission Service at Cambridge Energy Research Associates. Before that, he was a Manager in the Utilities Practice at 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
Written testimony of Kathleen Spees, Samuel A. Newell, and Linquan Bai before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Assessment of MISO's proposed Reliability Based Demand Curves (RBDCs) to be used to support resource adequacy in its Planning Resource Auctions (PRAs), submitted at the request of the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), Docket No. ER23-2977-000.
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
