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Charlie Black

Guest Lecturer

Headshot of Charlie Black

Contact Information

Salem Campus

Address
900 State Street
Salem  Oregon  97301
U.S.A.

Biography

Message

One of the primary areas of responsibility for every energy utility is planning, procuring and operating a portfolio of energy resources to serve its retail customers. Integrated resource planning is the process used to develop the utility's long-term resource strategy. The resulting strategy defines how the utility intends to satisfy its customers' future needs reliably and cost-effectively, while also complying with requirements to develop all cost-effective energy efficiency, acquire renewable generating resources and limit environmental impacts such as greenhouse gas emissions. Developing an IRP is a multi-faceted process that includes extensive analyses and broad engagement with the utility's customers, environmental groups, regulators and policy-makers. Learning IRP principles and practices will enable participants in the Utility Management Certificate Program to understand how utility resource portfolios are being reconfigured to incorporate new resource technologies and comply with multiple, changing policy mandates.

Biography

Charlie Black is an independent energy economics consultant with over three decades of experience in the electric and natural gas utilities industry. He has held a variety of technical and leadership positions at publicly-owned utilities, investor-owned utilities and a multi-state regional power planning agency. Charlie has been involved in industry restructuring and policy matters during his entire career, beginning with deregulation of the natural gas industry in the mid-1980s and continuing through multiple phases of electric industry restructuring. He has worked at and provided consulting services to organizations from Southern California to Alaska, including municipal, cooperative, PUD and investor-owned utilities, as well as regulatory agencies. Charlie has also designed, managed and advised on development of numerous IRPs. He pioneered the use of modern resource planning techniques such as fully integrating demand-side resources into IRP portfolio analyses, and using IRP methods, models and results to support resource acquisition. Charlie is a frequent speaker and panel moderator at conferences, seminars, association meetings and public hearings, and recently conducted a successful series of symposiums on utility industry issues and market trends.

Education

  • B.A., Western Washington University
  • M.A., University of Washington

Areas of Instruction

  • Integrated resource planning
  • Distributed generation

Research Interests

  • Resource planning and acquisition
  • Distributed energy resources
  • Integration of solar photovoltaic generation
  • Energy industry structure and markets
  • Utility business models
  • Design and policies for energy services and rates

Professional Affiliations

  • Member, Northwest Energy Coalition
  • Associate member, Northwest Public Power Association
  • Associate member, Pacific Northwest Utilities Conference Committee System Planning Committee
  • Past member: Public Power Council Contracts and Rates Committee
  • Past member: California Municipal Utilities Association Regulatory Committee
  • Past member: Southern California Public Power Authority Resource Planning Committee
  • Past chairman: Public Generating Pool Operating Committee
  • Past secretary and treasurer: Northwest Regional Transmission Association

Selected Publications

  • “Sixth Power Plan Mid-Term Assessment Report”, Northwest Power and Conservation Council, March, 2013
  • “Dynamic Pricing Evaluation for Washington”, National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, January 2011
Willamette University

Executive Development Center

Salem Campus

Address
900 State Street
Salem Oregon 97301 U.S.A.
Phone
503-370-6444

Portland Campus

Address
200 SW Market Street, Suite 101
Portland Oregon 97201 U.S.A.
Phone
971-717-7260