Will McNeil

Bio: Wilson (Will) McNeil is passionate about the clean energy transition and ensuring energy systems are reliable, affordable, and low-carbon. Will earned his PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley under the mentorship of Professor Robert Harley and Dr. Corinne Scown. His doctoral research focused on the life-cycle economic, climate, and human health impacts of emerging technologies including heavy-duty vehicle electrification and post-combustion carbon capture and storage. Will was awarded a Fulbright research grant, which allowed him to conduct a yearlong research project at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand on freight decarbonization.

Postdoctoral research project: Economic and Environmental Impacts of Large Load Interconnection. Data centers and other large loads have the potential to reshape U.S. electricity demand growth, generation investment needs, and grid decarbonization pathways. Will’s research at Stanford, under the mentorship of Dr. Inês Azevedo and Dr. Steven Davis, develops techno-economic and capacity expansion modeling frameworks to evaluate the impacts of large load interconnection. In his work, he examines likely growth from data centers and other large loads across the U.S., calculates location-specific optimal power supply portfolios, and estimates the resulting impacts on electricity prices and emissions over time. His research provides actionable insights for policymakers, utilities, and industry stakeholders by revealing where low-emission and cost-effective siting is feasible and how large load interconnection affects the broader U.S. electricity grid.

Research focus: Energy Systems

Advisors:  Inês Azevedo - Energy Science & Engineering  |  Steve Davis - Earth System Science