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Exploring a different structure for utilities
Could Utilities’ Future Be Selling Light Instead of Electrons?
There’s a growing recognition within and outside the electric industry that the existing utility business model is unfit both for meeting society’s climate goals and for competing with new disruptive technologies such as distributed solar power.
“It’s something that worked really well in the last century, when we needed to electrify the country and expand the grid to use more electricity for more things,” says Annie Levenson-Falk, the Citizens League’s senior policy manager. “Now that the goal is conserving, we have the wrong setup for that. I think folks are starting to recognize that.”
The Citizens League started its electricity policy project in 2011, bringing together about 100 people, including utility officials, state lawmakers, environmentalists, business leaders and citizens, to talk about what Minnesota’s electricity system should look like in 2040.
The project is currently in its second phase, which is focused on identifying long-term, system-level policy changes that would promote more efficient use of electricity in the state. Fox-Penner’s Energy Service Utility model is one of several ideas that have been discussed...
There’s a growing recognition within and outside the electric industry that the existing utility business model is unfit both for meeting society’s climate goals and for competing with new disruptive technologies such as distributed solar power.
“It’s something that worked really well in the last century, when we needed to electrify the country and expand the grid to use more electricity for more things,” says Annie Levenson-Falk, the Citizens League’s senior policy manager. “Now that the goal is conserving, we have the wrong setup for that. I think folks are starting to recognize that.”
The Citizens League started its electricity policy project in 2011, bringing together about 100 people, including utility officials, state lawmakers, environmentalists, business leaders and citizens, to talk about what Minnesota’s electricity system should look like in 2040.
The project is currently in its second phase, which is focused on identifying long-term, system-level policy changes that would promote more efficient use of electricity in the state. Fox-Penner’s Energy Service Utility model is one of several ideas that have been discussed...
http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/could-utilities-future-be-selling-light-instead-of-electrons?utm_source=SmartGrid&utm_medium=Headline&utm_campaign=GTMDaily