Panel of Technical Experts
The Panel of Technical Experts (PTE) is an advisory group of independent consultants who were appointed by government to perform a specific and technical function as part of the first Electricity Market Reform delivery plan process.
Role of the panel
The Panel of Technical Experts (PTE) is an independent advisory group, members of which are appointed by government to advise on technical aspects of Electricity Market Reform. The role of the panel is a technical function and not a forum for policy commentary or for advising the government on its objectives for the capacity market or wider policy issues. They have a particular focus on providing scrutiny of the analysis in National Grid’s annual Electricity Capacity Report (ECR), which provides a recommendation on the target capacity for capacity market auctions. A report with their findings is published annually following the publication of the ECR and the Secretary of State’s decision on the target capacity.
The Panel’s Terms of Reference
The terms of the reference for the PTE make clear that Panel members are independent and do not act as representatives of any current or previous employers, trade associations or membership organisations.
The work of the Panel is confidential. The Panel must not discuss or disseminate information which is provided in confidence, or discuss its role, with parties other than those stated in the Terms of Reference. Following publication of the Panel’s reports, the Panel may discuss the content publicly, but must not disclose any information beyond that which is published.
In the contractual terms and conditions, Panel members and the Chair are obliged to inform the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero of their interests and any potential or real conflicts of interest up front and any changes to them, as they occur. Registers of interests for each of this year’s PTE members are available here.
Members of the panel and biographies
To carry out this technical function, members bring with them diverse experiences of the electricity markets in Great Britain and Ireland, as well as knowledge of a wide range of generation technologies. In their roles with the PTE they provide independent advice to government, and do not represent their organisations.
The following have agreed to sit on the panel:
- Professor Derek Bunn (Chair)
- Dr Guy Doyle
- Professor Frank Kelly CBE FRS
Professor Derek Bunn (Chair)
Derek W. Bunn is Professor of Decision Sciences at London Business School, where he has led an energy research programme since 1986. Author of over 200 research papers and 10 books in the areas of forecasting, econometrics, decision analysis and energy economics, he has been Editor of the Journal of Forecasting since 1984, a previous Editor of Energy Economics, and Founding Editor of the Journal of Energy Markets. He has advised numerous international companies and government agencies in the energy sector as well as providing expert evidence in arbitration and litigation. He is currently a panel member of the Balancing and Settlement Code.
Dr Guy Doyle
Dr Doyle is Chief Economist of Energy and Carbon at Mott MacDonald and has 39 years’ experience of forecasting and analysing world energy markets. Guy has been on the PTE since 2013. At Mott MacDonald, Guy leads on techno-economics and fundamental modelling and provides guidance on RE and flexibility procurement arrangements and policy for a range of clients spanning Governmental, lenders and developers worldwide. His positions prior to joining Mott Macdonald included running Power Ink, an electricity consultancy firm. He was also founder and editor of Power UK, Consultancy director at McCloskey Coal, Chief Economist of IEA Coal Research, and energy forecasting manager at Global Insight. Guy holds a PhD in Energy Economics and a Masters in Natural Resource Economics.
Professor Frank Kelly CBE FRS
Frank Kelly is Professor of the Mathematics of Systems in the University of Cambridge, and former Master of Christ’s College. His main research interests are in random processes, networks and optimization. He is especially interested in applications to the design and control of networks and to the understanding of self-regulation in large-scale systems. He was a member of the US National Academies’ Committee on “Analytical Research Foundations for the Next-Generation Electric Grid” and most recently his energy related work has been undertaken in conjunction with colleagues at Cambridge’s Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences in its 2019 programme on “The mathematics of energy systems”. Frank has previously provided advice to government as the Chief Scientific Adviser (2003 – 2006) to the United Kingdom’s Department for Transport, and continues to have a wide and varied engagement with professional bodies and learned societies both in the UK and internationally.