Power Economics

To succeed in the evolving global energy marketplace, utilities, plant owners, operators, system planners, market designers, investors, and energy consumers must base their decisions not only on technical considerations, but also on a range of economic and regulatory drivers. At GE Energy Consulting, our cross-functional teams are able to weave stability and adequacy analysis into technical and economic recommendations and solutions.

The Power Economics team provides policy, planning and investment decision expertise to help you make complex energy decisions while reducing potential risks. We analyze electric power market conditions, system dispatch and operations, and energy policy implications to help you make strategic planning decisions in today's often uncertain world.

Policy and Planning

Drawing on our knowledge of power system engineering and operations, our consultants develop analytical models that reflect power system fundamentals to give you a better understanding of market dynamics and mechanisms. These analyses factor in the effects of new regulations that may alter the boundaries of traditional electric utilities, expand power system infrastructures, and increase constraints on fuel, and emissions. A tool essential to this study work is GE's proprietary Multi-¬Area Production Simulation (GE MAPS*) software, which has become an industry standard in the U.S. for accurately analyzing the complex interaction between generation and transmission. Overall, GE Energy Consulting models electrical grids across the world in 40+ countries. We continuously update these models, along with adding new country models to our portfolio. Our team is also experts with other sophisticated power system analysis tools commonly used in the electricity sector.

Investment Decision Analysis

The Power Economics team utilizes data from utility IRPs, ISO planning documents, financial reports, etc. to feed our GE MAPS* software and additional modeling tools to generate a wide range of forecasting results, including nodal and zonal pricing (inclusive of congestions and losses), capacity and ancillary prices, RECs, fuel price forecasts, and more. In performing this analysis, the GE Energy Consulting team is uniquely positions to inform our customers and partners on the economic and financial impacts of various policy and planning considerations, support critical investment decisions, and value a variety of assets and asset portfolios, and more. Our team continuously updates market models and datasets, which are available for purchase.

Our Projects

Our clients include electric utilities, plant owners and investors, project developers, independent system operators, and regulatory and research groups. We have recently performed:

• Decarbonization planning studies and best practices
• Renewable integration insights and studies
• Plant owner investment decision analysis
• Projected coal plant retirements due to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency policy
• Integrated generation, transmission and demand¬-side resource planning
• Interaction of distributed solar resources
• Electric vehicle deployment and energy storage
• Sustainability studies
• Transmission analysis
• Offshore + Onshore Wind integration
• Net zero energy communities’ analysis

These studies offer insights into expected power system operations and costs, as well as the value of power produced, to help you understand the impact on the overall project. Scenario analyses identify your benefits while examining the potential effects of such items as new regulations, competitor activity, and changes in fuel price or availability.

For more information and to connect with our Power Economics team, contact us today.

*Trademark of General Electric Company.