Resource Evaluation Studies for MidAmerican Energy Company and Interstate Power and Light in Iowa
Synapse provided technical assistance to the Sierra Club, Environmental Law and Policy Center, and Iowa Environmental Council—collectively, the Environmental Intervenors—in the resource planning processes of MidAmerican Energy Company (MidAmerican) and Interstate Power and Light (IPL). These resource planning processes, called Resource Evaluation Studies (RES), were required as part of settlement agreements with the Environmental Intervenors in prior dockets.
Synapse collaborated with GridLab, which coordinated the engagement, and Energy Strategies, which led the modeling efforts. Together, we engaged with the Companies to improve the RES process through participation in numerous stakeholder meetings, submission of data requests, and the drafting of comment letters after each meeting and at the conclusion of the RES process. Through these comment letters, Synapse and the Environmental Intervenors aimed to enhance the robustness of the RES process and improve the Companies’ modeling assumptions and methodologies.
For both RES processes, our modeling and analysis focused on the Companies’ new resource cost assumptions—including for renewables and gas—the economics of existing legacy resources, particularly their coal fleets, reliability analysis, and scenario and portfolio construction. The results of both the Companies’ modeling and the Environmental Intervenors’ independent modeling showed that near-term solar represents a least-cost, reliable, no-regrets solution. As a result, we recommended that both Companies begin procuring near-term solar to meet their capacity and energy needs over the next several years.