In this alumni profile, we interview Alyssa Lu, former energy analyst at Capstone.
On the Frontlines
During a time when federal agencies have been disparaged and disbanded, Alyssa Lu held steady. She enjoys her job as an energy industry analyst at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), an independent agency that regulates the interstate transmission of natural gas, oil, and electricity, as well as natural gas and hydropower projects. Alyssa knows the work she and her colleagues do in the Office of Energy Market Regulation provides consumers with safe, reliable, efficient energy services at reasonable costs. “Honestly, everyone is so smart. I love working there,” she says.
“There is so much institutional knowledge at FERC,” Alyssa adds. “We have decades of institutional knowledge of cases we’ve won and lost in court, so we know what to do. Although we don’t want to be in that position, you always want to win on rehearing.”
Alyssa was studying engineering at the University of Pennsylvania, where she first joined FERC in May 2020 as an energy industry analyst intern. “My research expertise lies in energy. During my junior year, I did research on energy policy and legislation with the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy. I felt challenged and I enjoyed it,” she says.
In July 2024, Alyssa returned full-time to FERC, where she researches and analyzes energy markets and tariffs related to electricity facilities and services to strike a balance between competition and regulation. She sometimes balances the demands of the day by crocheting hats for preemies in a local hospital or photographing her foster fail, Momo.
Alyssa credits her time at Capstone from July 2023 to May 2024 as a Senior Energy Analyst with preparing her to work at FERC. “There’s a learning curve for most people on power markets, and I learned a lot about FERC and what it does at Capstone,” Alyssa says. “I came up to speed quicker, and I learned how to be a better writer.”
She also made good friends when she joined Capstone. Coworkers quickly discovered that Alyssa bakes outrageously delicious brown butter chocolate chip cookies, which she generously shared with everyone. She’s still active in a Capstone book club that meets every month to share insights, opinions, and updates on their lives and regularly gets visits with Capstone Alumni in Boston and New York. “It’s amazing that we’re able to get together and stay in touch, no matter where we are,” Alyssa says.
See more Capstone alumni profiles here.
