Presentations from the April 15th Electricity Restructuring Roundtable are available on Raab Associates’ web site. One session, a presentation by Peter Fox-Penner, offered two business models likely to replace the current utility industry structure. The second, a panel discussion, considered how the adoption of electric vehicles and energy storage technology would transform the electric grid.
Fox-Penner argued that, after nearly a century of stability, the electric utility industry is undergoing a series of massive changes:
- Flat or declining growth in sales
- Decarbonization of electric supply
- Growth in renewables
- Energy Efficiency as a source of cost-effective supply
- Smart Grid
that will drive the adoption of one of two business models for the future:
- a Smart Integrator – a regulated distributor that delivers purchased power and other services to downstream customers (an extension of today’s leading edge)
- an Energy Services Utility that mixes purchased power and services with its own offerings, all focused customer service
The panel considered:
- the electrification of vehicles with presentations from A123 Systemsand the Electrification Coalition
- energy storage technologies, with presentations from Beacon Power (flywheel storage) and Xtreme Power (large scale dry battery storage)
- the impact on utilities and power providers, with presentations from NRG Energy and Northeast Utilities
Presentations are available here on Raab Associates’ web site.
Restructuring Roundtable April presentations available