Penn State Launches Electricity Markets Initiative

Academia and industry have joined forces to explore the economic and environmental benefits of competition, as well as the challenges and opportunities for Pennsylvania’s competitive electricity markets. Penn State University’s Electricity Markets Initiative (PSU EMI) will serve as a resource for state policymakers as they develop innovative electricity polices for the Commonwealth.

The new venture has already been praised by diverse power suppliers. COMPETE member Electric Power Supply Association (EPSA), the national trade association representing competitive power suppliers, ”is proud to see the competitive electricity supply community providing leadership in engaging with this distinctive collaboration of organizations to examine the many effects of competition in Pennsylvania,” said John E. Shelk, President and CEO. “It is our unyielding belief that competition provides the most effective way to provide efficiently produced electricity to consumers and drive innovative supply options. We welcome this new voice and look forward to the Initiative’s contributions to sound policymaking.”

Penn State professors and student researchers will explore multiple topics, including the social, environmental and economic impacts of competitive energy markets in Pennsylvania as well as the value of emerging technologies. All research proposals will be reviewed by an advisory board, which includes Pennsylvania electricity companies and COMPETE members Constellation Energy, Direct Energy, Exelon Corporation, FirstEnergy Solutions, PPL EnergyPlus, RRI Energy and Leggett & Platt. These electricity stakeholders will be joined on the board by representatives from the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) and the PJM Interconnection.

PSU EMI plans to launch an interactive Web site later this year. Joel Malina | April 6, 2010