Jacob Mays
@jacobmays.bsky.social
Assistant Professor, Cornell Civil and Environmental Engineering, working on energy systems and decision making under uncertainty. Tweeting in a personal capacity.
Our article "Operational Uncertainty and the Missing Money Problem" is now in Energy Economics (authors.elsevier.com/c/1lxeFW3fd1v69). The paper investigates capacity markets and operations, finding that current configurations in the US slightly undercompensate baseload plants relative to peakers.
authors.elsevier.com
October 16, 2025 at 10:52 AM
Our article "Operational Uncertainty and the Missing Money Problem" is now in Energy Economics (authors.elsevier.com/c/1lxeFW3fd1v69). The paper investigates capacity markets and operations, finding that current configurations in the US slightly undercompensate baseload plants relative to peakers.
Did not see that coming!
Do it! More than two gigawatts of round the clock emissions free power deliverable straight into NYC. Closing it was a huge mistake. Let's fix that mistake now.
www.politico.com/news/2025/09... 🔌💡⚛️
www.politico.com/news/2025/09... 🔌💡⚛️
September 10, 2025 at 1:41 PM
Did not see that coming!
Reposted by Jacob Mays
💡 New Transmission Paper alert 💡
“Electric transmission value and its drivers in United States power markets” just went live in Nature Communications! Kudos especially to Julie Mulvaney Kemp for getting this work to the finish line.
doi.org/10.1038/s414...
“Electric transmission value and its drivers in United States power markets” just went live in Nature Communications! Kudos especially to Julie Mulvaney Kemp for getting this work to the finish line.
doi.org/10.1038/s414...
September 2, 2025 at 7:19 PM
💡 New Transmission Paper alert 💡
“Electric transmission value and its drivers in United States power markets” just went live in Nature Communications! Kudos especially to Julie Mulvaney Kemp for getting this work to the finish line.
doi.org/10.1038/s414...
“Electric transmission value and its drivers in United States power markets” just went live in Nature Communications! Kudos especially to Julie Mulvaney Kemp for getting this work to the finish line.
doi.org/10.1038/s414...
Our paper "Rethinking capacity market fundamentals," about several issues in accreditation and non-performance penalties in capacity markets, is now published in Energy Economics and is open access for the next 50 days at this link: authors.elsevier.com/c/1ldcmW3fd1...
authors.elsevier.com
August 19, 2025 at 3:06 PM
Our paper "Rethinking capacity market fundamentals," about several issues in accreditation and non-performance penalties in capacity markets, is now published in Energy Economics and is open access for the next 50 days at this link: authors.elsevier.com/c/1ldcmW3fd1...
New working paper, "Operational Uncertainty and the Missing Money." Here we argue that competitive electricity markets probably overcompensate peaking resources relative to those whose production is spread over more hours of the year (e.g., nuclear and hydro) papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Operational Uncertainty and the Missing Money Problem
This study investigates how algorithmic choices in power system operations affect the total compensation available to different technologies participating in wh
papers.ssrn.com
April 3, 2025 at 6:01 PM
New working paper, "Operational Uncertainty and the Missing Money." Here we argue that competitive electricity markets probably overcompensate peaking resources relative to those whose production is spread over more hours of the year (e.g., nuclear and hydro) papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
We are recruiting for an undergraduate summer research opportunity in electricity market modeling, through Cornell's Office of Inclusive Excellence (sites.coecis.cornell.edu/lsampreu/). If you or someone you know wants to spend the summer in Ithaca and get into this area, check it out!
Cornell LSAMP Summer REU
sites.coecis.cornell.edu
January 16, 2025 at 10:12 AM
We are recruiting for an undergraduate summer research opportunity in electricity market modeling, through Cornell's Office of Inclusive Excellence (sites.coecis.cornell.edu/lsampreu/). If you or someone you know wants to spend the summer in Ithaca and get into this area, check it out!
Reposted by Jacob Mays
I'm starting off 2025, a year when I'll write a lot about the role of markets and innovation in enabling our future power systems, by writing a series about RTOs as wholesale market platforms. Part I: economic history. 📉📈 and 🔌💡
knowledgeproblem.substack.com/p/regional-t...
knowledgeproblem.substack.com/p/regional-t...
Regional Transmission Organizations as Market Platforms I
What's the origin story of wholesale power markets?
knowledgeproblem.substack.com
January 9, 2025 at 3:50 PM
I'm starting off 2025, a year when I'll write a lot about the role of markets and innovation in enabling our future power systems, by writing a series about RTOs as wholesale market platforms. Part I: economic history. 📉📈 and 🔌💡
knowledgeproblem.substack.com/p/regional-t...
knowledgeproblem.substack.com/p/regional-t...
🔌💡 Our new study led by @fnbillimoria.bsky.social, "Hedging and tail risk in electricity markets," is now out in Energy Economics. 50-day access link: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Hedging and tail risk in electricity markets
One of the persistent concerns in scarcity-based electricity market designs is that markets for long-term contracts are highly illiquid or ‘missing’. …
www.sciencedirect.com
December 22, 2024 at 10:53 AM
🔌💡 Our new study led by @fnbillimoria.bsky.social, "Hedging and tail risk in electricity markets," is now out in Energy Economics. 50-day access link: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Jacob Mays
Nationally, winter grid operations vary from summer
While summer risk tends to be concentrated in the evening hours, winter risk is bimodal, split between evening and morning across a wider range of hours.
#energysky 🔌💡
While summer risk tends to be concentrated in the evening hours, winter risk is bimodal, split between evening and morning across a wider range of hours.
#energysky 🔌💡
December 20, 2024 at 3:51 PM
Nationally, winter grid operations vary from summer
While summer risk tends to be concentrated in the evening hours, winter risk is bimodal, split between evening and morning across a wider range of hours.
#energysky 🔌💡
While summer risk tends to be concentrated in the evening hours, winter risk is bimodal, split between evening and morning across a wider range of hours.
#energysky 🔌💡
Published 43 years ago:
December 5, 2024 at 9:10 AM
Published 43 years ago:
New in Energy Economics, our paper on the challenge of allocating the cost of transmission in a manner "roughly commensurate with benefits" when nobody can agree what the benefits are. 50-day share link: authors.elsevier.com/c/1kB0SW3fc~...
authors.elsevier.com
November 29, 2024 at 9:55 AM
New in Energy Economics, our paper on the challenge of allocating the cost of transmission in a manner "roughly commensurate with benefits" when nobody can agree what the benefits are. 50-day share link: authors.elsevier.com/c/1kB0SW3fc~...
Thread summarizing our new paper on transmission cost allocation #EnergySky
I am happy that my paper on transmission line cost allocation with @jacobmays.bsky.social is now out in the energy law journal. papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers..... The paper is a deep dive on the law and economics of transmission lines. Full disclosure: I am a transmission line enthusiast.
THE LAW AND ECONOMICS OF TRANSMISSION PLANNING AND COST ALLOCATION
This Article considers how to allocate the costs of transmission when states, utilities, or other classes of customers adopt different clean energy policies. It
papers.ssrn.com
November 19, 2024 at 4:33 PM
Thread summarizing our new paper on transmission cost allocation #EnergySky
Reposted by Jacob Mays
I am happy that my paper on transmission line cost allocation with @jacobmays.bsky.social is now out in the energy law journal. papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers..... The paper is a deep dive on the law and economics of transmission lines. Full disclosure: I am a transmission line enthusiast.
THE LAW AND ECONOMICS OF TRANSMISSION PLANNING AND COST ALLOCATION
This Article considers how to allocate the costs of transmission when states, utilities, or other classes of customers adopt different clean energy policies. It
papers.ssrn.com
November 18, 2024 at 7:41 PM
I am happy that my paper on transmission line cost allocation with @jacobmays.bsky.social is now out in the energy law journal. papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers..... The paper is a deep dive on the law and economics of transmission lines. Full disclosure: I am a transmission line enthusiast.
Reposted by Jacob Mays
Cornell is hiring an environmental/energy/resource economist (open-rank).
Join our vibrant academic community working on the major sustainability challenges facing the world today... & have the option to make this part of your daily commute :)
Plz share!
academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/28657
Join our vibrant academic community working on the major sustainability challenges facing the world today... & have the option to make this part of your daily commute :)
Plz share!
academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/28657
October 4, 2024 at 3:02 PM
Cornell is hiring an environmental/energy/resource economist (open-rank).
Join our vibrant academic community working on the major sustainability challenges facing the world today... & have the option to make this part of your daily commute :)
Plz share!
academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/28657
Join our vibrant academic community working on the major sustainability challenges facing the world today... & have the option to make this part of your daily commute :)
Plz share!
academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/28657
One nuance here is that compensating people who had contracted for energy and were not supplied energy is completely consistent with efficient markets.
A big part of my support for public ownership / control of critical services like “warmth” is about establishing a positive obligation to serve, especially in the transition. Otherwise you let people die when it’s not profitable.
Texas power plants have no responsibility to provide electricity in emergencies, judges rule
A panel of judges has said that big power companies cannot be held liable for failure to provide electricity during the 2021 blackout. The reason is Texas’ deregulated energy market.
www.kut.org
December 17, 2023 at 7:34 PM
One nuance here is that compensating people who had contracted for energy and were not supplied energy is completely consistent with efficient markets.
I understand the motive, but it doesn't seem like MISO has really thought this proposal through.
Alliant, DTE and AES Indiana told FERC in separate filings the proposed interconnection queue cap may make it harder for them to meet their clean energy goals and reliability obligations.
www.utilitydive.com/news/ferc-mi...
www.utilitydive.com/news/ferc-mi...
Alliant, DTE, NextEra, others urge FERC to reject MISO’s proposed interconnection queue cap
The grid operator’s proposed interconnection study cap would create “an unworkable queue that undermines competition, raises rates, and threatens reliability,” renewable energy groups said Monda...
www.utilitydive.com
December 5, 2023 at 6:26 PM
I understand the motive, but it doesn't seem like MISO has really thought this proposal through.
Making my Bluesky debut with a new working paper, “Sequential Pricing of Electricity,” on price formation and resource remuneration in electricity markets with significant storage: optimization-online.org/2023/10/sequ...
October 11, 2023 at 11:01 PM
Making my Bluesky debut with a new working paper, “Sequential Pricing of Electricity,” on price formation and resource remuneration in electricity markets with significant storage: optimization-online.org/2023/10/sequ...