Energy Planning & Policy Analysis

Energy, transportation and water infrastructure decisions are significantly affected by economic and public policy considerations. Sound policy making requires specialized knowledge and insight regarding infrastructure systems, including the unique considerations for constructing and maintaining different types of systems. Economic factors must also be considered in policy making, and also in decisions to implement individual projects. Aspen provides decision-makers with critical information and analysis to support sound policy making, as well as analysis critical to informed decision-making for individual project proposals.

Aspen also has supported clients, both public and private, in addressing environmental regulatory matters, such as setting of air quality standards and approval of water transfers. These projects have included both original research and analysis and critiques of regulatory proposals.

In addition, Aspen provides expert witnesses for utility rate cases across a broad range of issues. Aspen witnesses have testified on utility revenue requirements and allocation, energy efficiency and other programs design, rate design for residential, industrial and agricultural customers, and bulk power market issues. Aspen experts have testified in many states in the West and before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

Examples of services provided by Aspen in Economics & Policy Analysis include:

  • Regional and National Input-Output Impact Studies
  • Regulatory Impact Analyses
  • Economic Studies
  • Energy Policy Development & Analyses
  • Energy Planning
  • Cost-Benefit Analyses
  • Fiscal Impact Analyses
  • Socioeconomic Analyses
  • Cost Effective Evaluations
  • Economic Modeling
  • Utility Rate Case Analysis and Testimony
  • Environmental Regulatory Analysis and Testimony
  • Habitat Mitigation and Acquisition Cost Studies
  • Expert Witness Testimony

Featured Project

California Valley Solar Ranch

Sunpower Corporation proposed to construct and operate a 250-megawatt solar photovoltaic power plant on approximately 4,000 acres of rangeland in the Carrizo Plain, an unincorporated portion of eastern San Luis Obispo County. Sunpower’s proposal also included an electrical substation, a 2.8-mile transmission line, and an aggregate mine north of the project site. Aspen...

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