Summer 2024 Fellow: Owen Jung, Data Science and English, ’26
Learn more about Owen’s experience:
This fellowship is part of a partnership between Stanford in Government, the Precourt Institute for Energy, and the Bill Lane Center for the American West. If you are accepted as a fellow for this office, you will be required to complete a one-unit course on energy in California taught by Professor Bruce Cain and Visiting Fellow Felicia Marcus.
The fellowships run from Monday, June 23, 2025 to Friday, August 29, 2025. If a potential mentor(s) is listed in the posting, address your cover letter to this person(s).
Program requirement:
Take a one-unit workshop spring course, ‘Energy Policy in California and the West’ taught by Bruce Cain and Felicia Marcus that will provide an in-depth analysis of the role of California state agencies, the Western Interstate Energy Board, and the Western Electricity Coordinating Council in driving energy policy development, technology innovation, and market structures. Course number is CEE 263G / POLISCI 73 / PUBLPOL 73 / ENERGY 73.
Schedule: Wednesdays from 1:30 pm – 2:50 pm. (Please note: You can only enroll in the course after getting approved for the fellowship and receiving a permission number.) Please refer to the Shultz Energy Fellowships website for the most up-to-date information about the course.
Western Interstate Energy Board
The Western Interstate Energy Board (WIEB) is an organization of eleven western states and two western Canadian provinces. The governor of each state and the premier of each province appoint a member to the Board. WIEB’s purpose is to “provide the instruments and framework for cooperative state efforts to enhance the economy of the West and contribute to the well-being of the region’s people.” WIEB works to achieve this through cooperative efforts among member states, provinces, and the federal government. For these efforts, WIEB staff conduct research in comprehensive areas around the Western Interconnection, including grid reliability, resource adequacy, transmission expansion, energy imbalance markets, and nuclear waste transportation.
Although WIEB has a primarily remote workforce with employees spread out throughout the West, this fellowship will be a hybrid opportunity. Students should expect to spend the summer living in the Denver area and working hybrid between WIEB’s headquarters in downtown Denver, Colorado to engage with staff, and working remotely. As the selected fellow will be part of a collaborative, two-person Stanford team, both fellows will need to coordinate schedules to fully benefit from the team dynamics.
For more information on WIEB, please visit WIEB’s homepage.
Mentorship and Guidance
Laura Rennick, WIEB’s Executive Director and key program managers will provide overarching leadership to the students.
Gia Anguiano will provide daily oversight of the students, providing strategic direction, technical guidance, and coordination with partners. Students will also have access to external subject matter experts in power system modeling and energy policy. Regular check-ins with WIEB mentors will help ensure the project’s successful progression.
2025 Internship Project – Harmonizing Resource Adequacy Approaches in the Western Interconnection
Overview
The Western Interconnection faces a complex and evolving energy future, characterized by diverse state and provincial policies, rapid technological change, and evolving resource adequacy challenges. This fellowship focuses on developing a comprehensive understanding of existing resource adequacy frameworks in the West and their implications for regional coordination. The project will analyze how different RA approaches, particularly California’s Slice-of-Day framework and the Western Resource Adequacy Program (WRAP), can be harmonized to support robust regional planning.
Working closely with partners and building on their existing analysis, this project will create a common language and understanding for comparing and translating different RA frameworks. The analysis will help identify areas of alignment and potential gaps between programs, supporting more effective regional coordination and resource planning.
Project Goals
- Framework Analysis and Comparison: Develop a comparison of existing RA frameworks, focusing on California’s Slice-of-Day and WRAP methodologies.
- Impact Assessment: Evaluate how differences between RA frameworks might affect regional resource planning and reliability.
- Coordination Enhancement: Identify opportunities for alignment between RA programs and propose practical steps for implementation.
- Professional Development: Build valuable professional skills and connections within the energy policy and research sector while contributing to regional coordination efforts.
Project Tasks
- Research and Documentation Review
- Compile and review documentation on California RA (Slice-of-Day) and WRAP methodologies
- Interview key stakeholders from CAISO, WRAP, and other relevant organizations
- Document core assumptions and methodological approaches of each framework
- Comparative Analysis
- Develop detailed comparison matrices of RA frameworks
- Identify key areas of methodological difference(s)
- Analyze potential implications of differing approaches
- Map relationships between various RA metrics and requirements
- Impact Assessment
- Evaluate how framework differences might affect resource planning outcomes
- Assess potential implications for regional reliability
- Identify areas where different approaches might lead to conflicting conclusions
- Document specific cases where framework alignment could benefit regional planning
- Recommendations Development
- Develop practical recommendations for enhancing coordination between RA programs
- Prepare final presentation and documentation
Desired Skills and Knowledge
The ideal student candidates will have the following skills and knowledge:
Skills:
- Strong research and analytical capabilities
- Excellence in data analysis and statistical interpretation
- Clear written and verbal communication
- Ability to synthesize complex technical information
- Experience with collaborative research projects
Knowledge:
- Background in power systems, statistics, or related field
- Understanding of electricity markets and grid operations
- Familiarity with energy policy and regulatory frameworks
- Interest in resource adequacy and power system reliability
- Willingness to engage with diverse stakeholders across the West
Partnership and Coordination
This project will be conducted in close collaboration with key regional stakeholders and partners. WIEB will be working to identify and specify project partners over the winter. Regular coordination meetings will ensure alignment with existing initiatives and create opportunities for knowledge sharing throughout the project.
Conclusion
This fellowship represents an opportunity to contribute to the crucial work of harmonizing resource adequacy approaches across the Western Interconnection. By focusing on understanding and bridging differences between existing frameworks, the project will support more effective regional planning and coordination. Students will gain practical experience in energy policy analysis while helping to build stronger connections between Western states’ resource adequacy programs.
The approach developed through this work will serve as a valuable tool for stakeholders throughout the West, supporting more effective communication and coordination across different resource adequacy frameworks. This work will help lay the foundation for more integrated and robust resource planning across the Western Interconnection.
Stipend Amount
$7,500-$9,500