Marginal Cost Analysis for Utilities

Mike Clark specializes in antitrust, energy, applied econometrics, data analysis, and microeconomic theory. His antitrust experience includes class action lawsuits regarding price fixing and price discrimination matters; covering industries such as animation, electrical components, wholesale & retail gasoline, and airlines. His energy experience encompasses the measurement and evaluation of residential, commercial, and industrial energy programs; including demand response programs (e.g., critical peak pricing), time-of-use rates, net energy metering, and electric vehicle rates. He has also evaluated multiple utility pilot programs that use residential smart thermostats to facilitate energy conservation and demand response. His expertise incorporates demand modeling, estimating average treatment effects, forecasting, machine learning, and managing large datasets. His research has been published in Journal of Private Enterprise.

In his free time, Mike enjoys outdoor activities such as rock-climbing, hiking, and camping.

Nicholas Crowley is a network industry expert specializing in electric and gas utility regulation, with additional experience in telecommunications and railroads. Nick testifies on cost of capital and performance-based regulation issues in the United States and Canada, and his reports have been filed before regulatory authorities across North America. Nick calculates total factor productivity for gas and electric utilities and participates in the development of cost benchmarks for power systems. He assists utilities with embedded and marginal cost-based analysis to inform practical and innovative rate design. He assists in the evaluation of leading demand response programs. His research has been published in The Electricity Journal and the journal Utilities Policy.

Prior to joining CA Energy Consulting, Nick served at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, assisting with energy industry benchmarking, incentive regulation of oil pipelines, and evaluation of natural gas pipeline rate cases. He is a CFA charterholder.

Michael Vigdor began working at Christensen Associates in 2021. He conducts econometric analysis of customer price response to residential and non-residential demand response programs, undertakes short- and long-term load forecasting, and participates in wholesale and retail rate design projects. He has also undertaken extensions of load forecasting that involve development of forecasts of electric vehicle market penetration. More generally, he contributes to the firm’s energy data management and econometric analysis in support of a variety of regulated utility assignments. Michael has also provided expert witness support in antitrust litigation cases in which he used trend-based analysis to assess alleged supply restrictions. His background includes economic and statistical work in Stata, R, and Excel.

When not at work you can find him playing basketball, reading, cooking, and traveling.