ALBANY —The New York State Public Service Commission (Commission) today said it will hold two seminars in New York City to explore ways to more accurately value renewable energy resources and to determine how offering different electricity prices at different times of the day can positively impact residential customers. These special seminars build upon Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) strategy to spur clean energy innovation and investment, improve customer choice and value, and protect the environment.

“These seminars are designed to help provide information to the Commission as it quickly moves the electric industry and the ratemaking process toward a consumer-centered approach that harnesses new technologies and markets,” said Commission Chair Audrey Zibelman. “With the affirmative steps we are taking, we will unleash innovation throughout the industry that supports a consumer-driven power system that meets the economic and environmental needs of New York.”

The March 13 seminar will explore the benefits and shortcomings of current approaches and alternative approaches to valuing renewable energy. The seminar will include discussion on the rationale for standby tariffs and potential inequities raised by current standby tariff designs. Participants will focus on alternative models and possible new approaches.

The value of resources approach entails quantifying the value of customer-installed renewable resources to the grid, incorporating considerations such as avoided cost of transmission and distribution of electricity and avoided environmental costs, including the social cost of carbon. The meeting is co-sponsored by the Pace Energy and Climate Center and the law firm of Couch White. It will be held at Pace University in New York.

The March 31 seminar will focus on the potential role of residential time-variant pricing. The meeting will explore how time-variant pricing can contribute to achieving the goals of New York’s REV initiative, which seeks to create a cleaner, more efficient, and more affordable electricity system. The meeting is co-sponsored by the Environmental Defense Fund and the New York University Institute for Policy Integrity. It will be held at New York University School of Law in New York.

Time-variant electricity pricing allows customers to better understand the true cost of generating and delivering electricity, which varies significantly throughout the day and over the course of the year. This type of pricing gives customers greater control over their electricity bills by allowing them to modify their energy use patterns based on prices.

Time-variant pricing can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by incentivizing energy efficiency and conservation as well as shifting demand toward times when the electricity is generated by cleaner sources. At the New York University event, key industry players will talk about their experiences and lessons learned. The discussion will focus on topics relevant to time-variant pricing, such as the impact on low-income customers, enabling technologies, environmental impacts, and the future of time-variant pricing in New York.

Richard Kauffman, who as Chairman of Energy & Finance for New York, leads the Reforming the Energy Vision strategy on behalf of the Governor, will open the March 31 seminar at NYU. Chair Zibelman will be addressing both seminars. Both events are free and open to the public, and REV parties are encouraged to attend. The purpose of these seminars is to provide the opportunity for public discussion, with an array of national expert speakers, of some of the next issues being addressed in the proceeding.

Additional information on the seminars can be obtained by going to the following links:

March 13 seminar: http://www.pace.edu/government-community-relations/new-york%E2%80%99s-energy-vision-conversation-valuing-resources

March 31 seminar: http://policyintegrity.org/news/event/on-the-rev-agenda-the-role-of-time-variant-pricing/