Technological Innovation and Public Policy-Making

Deck: 

The new grid will be driven by opportunities for electric utilities and customers to monetize their economic opportunities.

Fortnightly Magazine - March 2016
This full article is only accessible by current license holders. Please login to view the full content.
Don't have a license yet? Click here to sign up for Public Utilities Fortnightly, and gain access to the entire Fortnightly article database online.

Legislators do not make investments in electric grids nor do we have to operate the systems, but we are as responsible for electricity affordability, reliability, resiliency, and enhanced customer options as are the utilities. This shared responsibility extends beyond the establishment of societal goals that require actions by utilities (e.g., renewable energy and/or energy efficiency requirements), it extends to establishing how utilities and customers can monetize the opportunities created by technological innovations and customer preferences.

Opportunities to monetize technological capabilities, customer preferences, and regulatory and legislative policy directives will exist and become more urgent, however the Clean Power Plan fares at the U.S. Supreme Court. From a policy-maker's perspective, it is important that we permit utilities to become more efficient and develop alternative revenue streams to offset customer losses, flat growth, and increasing O&M demands. Utilities also must respond to the stated goal of sixty percent of Fortune 100 companies and Presidential and Congressional directives to the U.S. military to become more energy efficient and greener. The public through opinion polls and purchasing patterns espouse the same values as do investments in distributed generation by residential and commercial customers.

This full article is only accessible by current license holders. Please login to view the full content.
Don't have a license yet? Click here to sign up for Public Utilities Fortnightly, and gain access to the entire Fortnightly article database online.