Beth LaRose: Technophile

Oct. 21, 2010
While majoring in engineering in college, Beth LaRose chose electric power engineering as her career course because of the “tremendous potential for the evolution of technology,” she said.

While majoring in engineering in college, Beth LaRose chose electric power engineering as her career course because of the “tremendous potential for the evolution of technology,” she said. Now she is at a company and in a position where she can be involved with advanced technologies and where she can share real-world examples to demonstrate engineering and economic theory.

LaRose is manager, Power Economics in Energy Consulting at GE Energy in which she brings 22 years of energy industry experience in electric power markets, asset valuation, generation planning and operational analyses and the impact of environmental regulations. She leads the development of the Energy Consulting division’s power market assessments and various analyses to support marketing and sales efforts for GE products. In addition to supporting GE marketing initiatives, she leads consulting projects focused on economic and power market impacts, including evaluation of generation and demand-side technology alternatives.

Before becoming manager about four years ago, LaRose was a principal consultant with the Power Economics team. She had similar roles prior to joining GE Energy with EnerVision, Inc., a consulting firm, and Oglethorpe Power Corp., a cooperative electric utility.

LaRose uses many real-world experiences in a “Deregulated Power Markets” course she teaches at GE Energy. The course, which is scheduled for Nov. 1-2, focuses on the North American electric power markets and features an overview of global electric power markets. The integration of the physics of power system operation, regulatory policy and marketplace structure and power marketplace transaction mechanisms are discussed.

“Deregulated Power Markets” is a Power Systems Engineering Course in which students can earn continuing education credits and is held at GE’s Energy Learning Center in Schenectady, New York.

LaRose says that understanding the dynamics of power markets is important, “especially how the participants must function within the power markets according to the structure and the specific power market rules.”

LaRose enjoys the power industry and its impact in the world today. “We are part of an industry that makes a material difference in the lives of people in both the developed- and emerging-economy countries,” she said. And she believes she is in the right place to make that difference. “The best thing about my job is being involved with the advanced technologies and the GE Ecomagination program.” GE Ecomagination is GE’s commitment to offer products and services that are as economically advantageous as they are ecologically sound.

She says there is just not enough time to pursue all the great opportunities in power industry technology, but she does take time to spend with her family, play tennis and read.

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