New energy delivery models for communities: how utilities can transform their delivery models to meet the needs of their stakeholders, short and long term

Abstract

Society has done little to modernize energy delivery or take advantage of proven, commonly available technology. In the past, change was driven by regulated entities with an exclusive franchise. Today, however, disruptors come from outside of the power sector – a phenomenon that is changing the grid. The grid of the future will provide an open platform, similar to a state-owned interstate that allows access to all. Generation, storage, and load elements will be self-registering building blocks, similar to the concept of all ‘Lego’ sets being compatible. Elements will be connected by providers or even consumers, they will self-register, and interact with each other optimizing grid performance with respect to economics, efficiency, adequacy, and reliability. The ubiquitous grid will encompass not only electric, gas, and water, but other services that either we’ve already come to rely upon or haven’t even considered yet. Is this farewell to the grid as we know it? The exclusive franchise model that has been around for more than a century might not be as long lived as expected.