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Energy Planning

Keystone helps government, businesses, NGOs and communities work together to understand growing energy needs and to develop strategies to meet them in the face of sometimes competing policy goals such as achieving energy security, reducing global warming, and providing affordable and reliable energy services.

Projects include:

The Eastern Interconnection Planning Collaborative (EIPC), (2010 - present)
The Eastern Interconnection Planning Collaborative (EIPC), a coalition of 24 transmission planning authorities in the Eastern U.S. and Canada, has engaged The Keystone Center to make recommendations for and implement the stakeholder process that will support a multi-year study of the EI energy resources and transmission system.  The EIPC has been awarded a $16 million Department of Energy (DOE) grant to integrate existing sub-regional plans and evaluate longer-term resource and policy scenarios that will shape the transmission system of the future. Stakeholders, including transmission and generation owners, consumer and environmental  advocates, renewable energy generators, end users, public power, state regulators, and Canadian provinces in the EI, will provide strategic guidance on the future scenarios.  They will help identify federal and state policy drivers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and new technologies that may dramatically impact the grid.  They will advise the EIPC on scenario assumptions such as the amount and location of new renewable resources and other low-carbon generation, the impact of new smart grid technologies, the penetration of demand-side resources, and the impact of new electricity load such as plug-in hybrid vehicles.
 
Keystone will facilitate all the stakeholder activities, including the steering committee, stakeholder work groups and public outreach efforts beginning in 2010 through mid-2012.  The EIPC will issue its report to DOE, with the stakeholder-specified future scenarios and related transmission analyses in June 2012.  This effort will provide not only forward-looking information about the transmission needs of a carbon-constrained future, but will also result in new EI planning processes and tools.  To learn more about the EIPC and join the stakeholder listserv for future updates, go to http://eipconline.com.
Contact: Catherine Morris
External Website: http://eipconline.com
 
Hawaii Leeward Planning Conference Energy Summit (2008)
The Keystone Center facilitated a two-day meeting of private sector leaders to help plan new “peak oil” strategies and the shift to greater energy self-sufficiency for the island and state of Hawaii.
Contact: Peter Adler
 
Duke Energy-Environmental Advisory Meetings (2007 - 2008)
The Keystone Center was asked to facilitate meetings between Duke Energy and environmental and energy advocates to discuss the company’s strategy for meeting energy needs.
Contact: Judy O’Brien
 
Business Roundtable Energy Task Force (2007)
The Keystone Center facilitated a two-day workshop of the Business Roundtable Energy Taskforce designed to identify technology pathways that will best meet goals of decreased dependence on imported oil. The Roundtable includes high-level representatives from business in all sectors of the energy economy: transportation, buildings, electricity generation and transmission, appliance manufacturers, renewable fuel, oil, natural gas and coal.
Contact: Judy O’Brien
 
Appalachian Regional Commission Regional Energy Blueprint: Policy Brief State and Federal Energy Policy Landscape (2006)
In February, 2006, the governors of 13 Appalachian states directed the Appalachian Regional Commission to convene an Energy Advisory Group of state officials to develop a regional energy blueprint. The Keystone Center provided part of the foundation for this blueprint by gathering information and presenting the advisory board with a research brief on the current energy policy landscape: “National and State Energy Policy Trends.” This brief outlines relevant energy policies at the federal and state levels, and highlights the innovative activities of the Appalachian states, including policies and programs to advance renewable energy, energy efficiency, clean coal, and alternative fuels such as biofuels and coal-to-liquid technologies. Based on this overview, The Keystone Center developed a number of recommendations for the Appalachian Regional Commission and Advisory Board to consider which recognize both the challenges and opportunities facing the region.
Final report: National and State Energy Policy Trends: Appalachian Region Energy Blueprint Research Brief
External website: http://www.arc.gov/index.do?nodeId=3081
Contact:       Catherine Morris
 
DOE/NREL Collaborative Energy Analysis Workshop (2006)
The Keystone Center helped plan and facilitate a two-day workshop for state and federal agencies to identify specific energy analysis goals and activities.  Workshop participants identified eight high-priority energy issues for both analysts and decision-makers that should be addressed in the next 5-10 years. The participants then developed work plans for interagency and industry collaboration for each of these energy analysis topics. Topics included:

  • The improvement of deployment partnerships between industry and government;
  • Better representation of energy technologies and demand response in energy analysis tools;
  • Development of better program impact evaluation tools;
  • Development of better policy analysis tools; and
  • Integration of information at the state and federal levels.

Workgroups were formed to implement the activities in each work plan. In addition, Keystone facilitated a session to explore longer-term energy analysis needs for consideration at future workshops.
External website: http://www.nrel.gov/analysis/collab_analysis/workshop_inaugural.html
Contact: Catherine Morris
 
WGA Clean and Diverse Energy Initiative (2005 - 2006)
Facing a rapidly growing demand for energy, the Western Governors commissioned a broad stakeholder process to develop a plan for 30,000 megawatts of clean and diverse energy by 2015, a 20 percent increase in energy efficiency by 2020, and a reliable electricity grid over the next quarter century.  The Keystone Center staff helped design, orchestrate and execute this broad-based initiative which involved hundreds of stakeholders from the region.  Keystone staff supported and facilitated the Clean and Diversified Energy Advisory Committee (CDEAC) and several of the eight task forces.  In June 2006, the Western States’ Governors adopted through a resolution the consensus recommendations of the CDEAC of technically feasible and financially viable policy mechanisms to achieve the goals.
Final report: Clean Energy, a Strong Economy and a Healthy Environment
Contact: Catherine Morris
 
International Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation Association Strategic Planning (2001)
External stakeholders were invited to inform IPIECA’s internal strategic planning process including think tanks, US Import/Export Bank, World Health Organization, UNEP, international environmental organizations, IUCN, IEA, IISD, and Nature Conservancy to address the environmental challenges to delivering affordable energy (water use, sustainable development, discharges and emissions).
Final report: http://keystone.org/spp/documents/finalreport_GasPipelineReportJTL.PDF
Contact: Judy O’Brien
 
API Strategic Planning (2001)
The American Petroleum Institute (API) asked TKC to facilitate a two-day meeting for the Downstream Committee.  The purpose of the meeting was to help the Committee and API define a strategic approach for addressing environmental regulatory and policy issues.
Contact: Judy O’Brien