2023 Shultz Energy Fellowships: Hawaii Public Utilities Commission, Office of Policy and Research
Regional-, state-, and city-level efforts are essential in our fight against climate change, especially in the field of energy. Stanford University is committed to helping by integrating its students into energy and climate ecosystems in the West through the Shultz Energy Fellowships program, an energy-related summer fellowship program for undergraduate and graduate students.
Named in honor of former Secretary of State George P. Shultz, one of the most widely admired American public servants of the past half-century, the program offers a suite of paid, energy-related public service fellowships for Stanford students in California, Colorado, Utah, and Hawaii during the summer.
The fellowships run from Monday, June 26, 2023 to Friday, September 1, 2023.
Organization/Agency mission or role in state government
The Hawaii Public Utilities Commission’s (HPUC) primary duty is to protect the public interest by overseeing and regulating public utilities to ensure that they provide reliable service at just and reasonable rates. HPUC regulates all chartered, franchised, certificated, and registered public utility companies operating in the State; reviews and approves rates, tariffs, charges and fees; determines the allowable rate of earnings in establishing rates; issues guidelines concerning the general management of franchised or certificated utility businesses; and acts on requests for the acquisition, sale, disposition or other exchange of utility properties, including mergers and consolidations.
Initial Project Descriptions
The HPUC is excited to again partner with Stanford University and to offer a Shultz Energy Fellowship position for the summer of 2023 within its Office of Policy and Research. We anticipate that a fellow will have opportunities to contribute to key Commission priorities, as aligned with their interests. In the last year, Hawaiian Electric and the Commission have pursued tangible actions on topics of increasing interest and importance across the country, including considering equity and justice across Commission and utility functions, hardening the electric system to the impacts of climate change, and improving utilization of distributed energy resources (DERs) for grid needs. Aligned with these topics, we offer three potential projects for a Shultz fellow below, which are subject to change depending on the needs of the HPUC and the interests of the fellow.
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Development of Performance Mechanisms for Electric System Grid Modernization and Resilience
The Commission, Stakeholders, and Hawaiian Electric (HECO) have identified system resilience (the ability of the system to withstand and recover from severe disruptions and adapt to the changing climate) as an area needing increased focus and monitoring. Resilience is particularly important in Hawaii given the state’s isolation, vulnerability to natural disasters and climate change, and given rising concerns over cybersecurity and aging infrastructure. However, there are no widely industry-accepted ways to measure electric system resilience. Additionally, HECO in increasingly investing in grid modernization technologies such as advanced metering infrastructure. This project would focus on developing clearly defined metrics for tracking the utility’s performance on resilience and grid modernization. While working on this project, a Shultz fellow would review industry literature, analyze HECO’s current and proposed efforts to improve resilience/grid modernization, assist in data analysis, and ultimately propose metrics for monitoring performance aligned with defined desired outcomes. The fellow would have the opportunity to help conceptualize Performance Mechanisms, including possible financial rewards or penalties for the utility. The fellow may also be asked to draft language to help inform a Decision and Order or present to stakeholders on opportunities and options.
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Support development of an Equity and Justice Action Plan for the Hawaii HPUC
The HPUC has ramped up efforts to prioritize equity and justice across its work. In addition, stakeholders, including the State Legislature, have asked the HPUC to better consider the impacts of its decision-making on vulnerable communities, including low-income communities, those who have experienced past harms associated with energy infrastructure, Native Hawaiians, and others. In response, the HPUC has undertaken a number of associated initiatives including development of a decision-making rubric for considering equity in procurement of renewable energy resources, leading a working group to provide energy payment assistance to low-income customers, and opening a docket to holistically consider equity across our work. As part of these efforts, the HPUC could benefit from an internal guiding framework and action plan to ensure consistency and longevity of this work. A Shultz Fellow working on this project would have the opportunity to significantly contribute to developing such a framework for the HPUC. This would include participating in equity-related groups and proceedings, researching best practices (specifically with regards to Hawaii-informed context), interacting with stakeholders and possibly the public, incorporating feedback from many sources, and drafting a report/framework.
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Support for the Inclusion of Locational Values in DER Programs and System Planning
The HPUC recently established new programs that compensate customers for the value produced by their DER systems while promoting market stability and minimizing customer confusion. Additionally, HECO is using new and sophisticated approaches to planning for these systems because there is understanding that DERs, including load modifications through price signals, can provide significant value to the system in certain locations where there may be constraints or expected load growth. However, methods for locationally compensating and accounting for systems are inherently complex. Accurate forecasting and planning is increasingly important as customers adopt more electric vehicles and battery storage systems, in order to invest appropriately in distribution system upgrades and to reduce other investments that could be offset by DERs. This project would likely include a literature review to understand how other jurisdictions are compensating customers for providing locational value through DERs, and how approaches may be applied in the Hawaii context. This project would likely result in a written memo with recommendations for how programs and system planning may evolve to include locational granularity.
Potential Mentor
- Grace Relf, Senior Utility Analyst
2022 Fellow
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Paula Charles, MS '23, Civil & Environmental Engineering, Atmosphere/Energy Program
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Learn more about Paula's experience at the HPUC:
- Preferred areas of study include: Energy Systems, Engineering, Economics, and Public Policy and Administration.
- Interest in and knowledge of energy policy, distributed energy resources, utility regulation, and environmental justice.
- Strong research and analytical skills are highly desired.
- Writing and public speaking skills are highly desired.
- A commitment to energy and environmental equity and justice is highly desired.
- Candidates should have keen attention to detail, ability to maintain confidentiality, and should take initiative and be self-starting.
All Shultz fellows must be enrolled in the spring quarter before their fellowship.
All Shultz fellows must take a one-unit spring workshop course, 'Energy Policy in California and the West' taught by Professor Bruce Cain and Visiting Fellow Felicia Marcus that will provide an in-depth analysis of the role of California state agencies, the Western Interstate Energy Board, and the Western Electricity Coordinating Council in driving energy policy development, technology innovation, and market structures. Course number is CEE 263G / POLISCI 73 / PUBLPOL 73 / ENERGY 73. Schedule: Wednesdays from 10:30 am - 11:30 am (Shriram Ctr BioChemE 368).
Please note that this opportunity is open to graduate students. Interested undergraduates can apply for Shultz Energy Fellowships opportunities via SIG.