Piggybacking on the Grid
Why net energy metering is unfair and inefficient.
While customers may have reached a “net zero” threshold on energy, they are a large net negative on very expensive grid services.
Distributed Generation & Microgrids
How Reliable Is Your Microgrid?
An insurer’s perspective on risk drivers for distributed resources.
From an insurance perspective, what happens if an entire microgrid should fail to perform?
The Integrated Grid: How Do We Get There?
EPRI’s roadmap for distributed energy.
Rooftop solar is a bell weather technology. And now the goal is to integrate and other distributed resources into grid planning, operations and policy.
The Future History of Tomorrow's Energy Network
A look back from year 2050 – on what we thought we once knew.
A decentralized form of electricity generation and delivery is becoming commonplace – and the question is whether utilities are doing all they can to prepare.
REV'ed and Ready
New York aims to Reform its Energy Vision. For technology companies, it’s a dream come true.
New York State is now rethinking its regulatory in the wake of Superstorm Sandy, and it expects to become an example to other states as it explores microgrids and energy storage.
Securing the Smart Grid
Questions and answers on consumer privacy and threats to the grid – both physical and cyber.
The economic argument for investments in the smart grid is clear: the payback from those technologies in the U.S. is likely three to six times greater than the money invested, and grows with each sequence of grid improvement.
The Case for Smart Grid
Funding a new infrastructure in an age of uncertainty.
The world’s electricity supply will need to triple by 2050 to keep up with demand. What follows is a look at where we are, and what may lie ahead, with a focus on the the scope of the problem, regulatory reform initiatives now underway, and how to go about rethinking the business models that might evolve.
Microgrids: Friend or Foe for Utilities?
For many, it’s the next logical step for smart grid technology.
A small, but growing, number of utilities are embracing these technologies. Microgrids offer a networking platform that the utility can both aggregate and optimize.
In New York's Distributed Energy Future, Will Co-Generation Still Reign?
Distributed energy has a long history in the state – with co-generation, or combined heat and power, playing the dominant role. How is that portfolio changing today?
Combined heat and power still leads the Empire State in market penetration by distributed resources, but costs are not falling as fast as for storage or solar PV.
Demand Disruption Ahead
Utilities should think hard about business models.
Death spiral? Maybe not. But retail load – as served by utilities – will surely fall.