Restructured wholesale electricity markets bring with them a host of complex issues: appropriate economic incentives for efficient generation resources, the opportunity for competitive suppliers to enhance traditional markets; the cost impacts on captive residential ratepayers; and the ability of alternative resources to overcome institutional barriers to participation in these new markets.

Synapse works on behalf of our many clients to insure that independent system operators (ISOs) and regional transmission organizations (RTOs) remain independent of – but not indifferent to – the often competing interests of generation owners, electric utilities, and the system’s large and small ratepayers. Our participation in New England’s recent conversion to an RTO structure led to the creation of the Alternative Resources Sector, a voting block within NEPOOL that is populated by renewable generators, distributed generation, demand response, and merchant energy efficiency providers. Our work in the PJM region has led to a comprehensive evaluation of PJM’s proposal for a new capacity market structure by the FERC.

	Representing numerous state consumer advocates, renewable generators, and merchant energy efficiency providers in NEPOOL
	Active participation in the processes that refine wholesale market designs in PJM and New England
	Studying the ratepayer impact of new capacity market structures in both New England and PJM
	Assessing alternatives to more and larger transmission solutions in the regional planning process for Northeast RTOs
	Encouraging the participation of merchant energy efficiency programs and demand response providers in wholesale markets
	Assessing the overall costs and benefits of ISO and RTO structures for clients across the country