Public Utilities Commission's Role in Hawaii Energy Policy
Date: Thu, November 21, 2013
Time: 4:30 - 5:30
Location: Holmes 244
Speaker: Dr. James "Jay" Griffin, Chief of Policy and Research, Hawaii Public Utilities Commission
Abstract:
In this talk, Jay will provide an overview of the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission (PUC), the PUC's role in Hawaii's energy policy landscape, major research themes from the current regulatory dockets and issues before the Commission, and future opportunities for UH researchers and students to support the state's clean energy initiatives.
About the speaker:
Dr. James "Jay" Griffin is the Chief of Policy and Research at the Public Utilities Commission (PUC). He leads the PUC's team of researchers in analyzing and supporting Commission decision-making on several of the state’s major energy policy decisions. Some of these key areas include requests for proposals (RFPs) for major renewable energy projects, PUC electricity grid reliability proceedings, the Hawaiian Electric Companies’ Integrated Resources Plan (IRP), and the statewide potential for energy efficiency savings. Jay also coordinates PUC staff developing the state’s on-bill financing, green energy market securitization (GEMS), and Hawaii Electric Reliability Authority (HERA) programs. Joining the PUC through an intergovernmental agreement and temporary assignment, Jay is on leave as a faculty member at the Hawaii Natural Energy Institute (HNEI) where he was the principal investigator of a Department of Energy-funded smart grid demonstration project on Maui and worked on the research teams of several renewable energy integration studies focusing on the Oahu, Maui, and Big Island energy systems