Anjali Sheffrin
Lecturer
Biography
Dr. Sheffrin has thirty years of management experience in the electric utility industry. Prior to teaching at Tulane University, Sheffrin served as the Chief Economist for the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) which manages the California power grid and its $12 billion wholesale electricity markets. Her responsibilities included designing of new products and services to improve market performance and grid reliability. She was the Market Monitor during the Enron crisis and formulated the analysis showing how the energy markets were manipulated. Sheffrin represented the company before regulators such as the Federal Regulatory Commission, Western Electricity Coordinating Council and Public Utilities Commission.
Prior to joining the CAISO, Sheffrin served as Manager of Power System Planning at the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), leading a department of 40 transmission planning engineers, generation engineers, statisticians, and financial analysts. She conducted the strategic analysis of the closure of Rancho Seco nuclear plant and implemented a plan for replacement power sources. She founded the Advanced, Renewable & Distributed. Generation Technologies program at SMUD.
Education
University of California Davis
Articles
Adapting California's energy markets to growth in renewable resources
2010
Electric power generation is the second-largest category of greenhouse gas emissions in California, next to transportation. California's administration, legislature, and energy regulators have adopted aggressive targets for renewable energy due to heavy reliance on natural gas as a fuel for electric generation, which will result in profound changes in markets and system operations.
The California ISO transmission economic assessment methodology (TEAM): principles and application to Path 26
2006
In response to the novel requirements that restructured power markets place upon transmission planning, a method for assessing the economic benefits of transmission upgrades has been adopted by the California Independent System Operator (CAISO). Economic effects considered include reductions in the cost of constructing and operating power plants along with changes in market prices.
Impact of Market Prices on the Economic Feasibility of Transmission Expansions
2006
The economic viability of transmission expansion is a function of market prices throughout the impacted region. Various methods have been utilized to simulate market prices. This article summarizes an empirical approach developed by the California Independent System Operators (CAISO) using dynamic bids that change hourly based on system conditions and the relative influence of critical suppliers
Media Appearances
Fossil Fuels Are No Longer Cost Effective
“Right now, we’re rich in natural gas,” says Dr. Anjali Sheffrin, a professor at Tulane who worked with electric utilities for 30 years before beginning her teaching career. “Look at how many liquified natural gas terminals are being built, and people expect that we may be awash in natural gas, but for how long? Two years? Five years?”...
Unleashing the Power of the Sun
“Right now we’re rich in natural gas. If we start exporting a tremendous amount of natural gas, those prices will go up,” says Dr. Sheffrin.
“We may be rich, but for how long? Look at how many LNG [liquified natural gas] terminals are being built, and people expect that we may be awash in natural gas, but for how long? Two years? Five years? Whereas you’re making investments for 30 years,” says Dr. Sheffrin, who advocates for diversifying energy sources to build resilience...
To prevent unethical behavior, companies should operate around a core set of values, panelists say
But while there are many villains at whose feet to lay blame for company failures, it's often more important to look beyond finger pointing to find the root cause of a problem, said Anjali Sheffrin, a research professor at Tulane University, who also spoke at the symposium.
Sheffrin was the market monitor during the California energy crisis of 2000 and 2001. She is credited with identifying market manipulation in the state's wholesale electricity market...
