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Future of Utilities - Utilities of the Future: How Technological Innovations in Distributed Energy Resources Will Reshape the Electric Power Sector

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Rapid technological advancement plus falling costs of distributed energy energyresources (DERs)—which includes energy efficiency improvements plus distributed generation—is turning an increasing number of consumers into prosumers, eroding utility revenues, and threatning the historical business model. Equally important are rapid advances in energy storage, electric vehicles, microgrids, intelligent home energy management, demand aggregation, and demand response, all pointing to a different future with a different role for industry incumbents. This book brings together industry and academic experts who offer original, cutting-edge, and thought-provoking perspectives on the challengers currently faced by electric utilities around the globe, the opportunities they present, and what the future might hold for traditional players and new entrants to this sector.rnKey Featuresrn• Understand the underlying causes and drivers of change in the electrical sectorrn• Examine what changes to the electrical sectors means in financial, operational, and regulatory terms for incumebent stakeholders in generation, transmission, distribution as well as retailing and customer servicesrn• Explore the implications for the health and survival of the traditional players as well as new entrants, as they seek opportunities to offer services through different business models and technologiesrn• Anticipate what developments are likely to define the functions and role of the customer and the utility of the futurernFor over a century the electric utility business was mostly stabel, predictable, and, at times, dull. Not surprisingly, the business of regulating utilities was also stable, predictable an, for the most part, equally dull.rnUtility executives had to make sure that the lights stayed on, most of the time, and that investors were reasonablly rewarded. Regulators had to make sure prices were just and reasonable while keeping utilities reasonably profitable.rnThe utility business model—nobody called it that in the old days—was predicated on two time-tested principles: predictable sales growth and flat or falling per unit prices. Regulators set and periodically adjust ed the cents per kilowatt-hour multiplier, which was applied to kilowatt-hour sales. It worked like a charm for too long. Ratepayers, as they were called, were billed on flat tariffs times the number of kilowatt-hours consumed. With flat or falling cents per kilowatt-hours—adjusted for inflation—sales continued to grow, which meant that costs could be sperad among more kilowatt-hours, which meant lower per unit costs, which encouraged increased consumption.rnThis happy state of affairs—simplified to its core—lasted roughly to the turn of the millenium, when the fundamentals began to change. Sales growth slowed and, in some cases, has come to a virtual halt, while retail tariffs began to rise.rnSignificant technological change, mostly on the customer end of the supply chain, began to become noticeable. Not only could consummers manage and control their usage better, they could increasingly meet some of their own consumption through distributed self-generation. In a relatively short period of time, distributed energy resources became a buzz word, transforming consumers to prosumers—active participants in the market, rather than passive consumers of bulk kilowatt-hours from the grid.rnTo everyone's surprise and within a stunningly short span of time, a growing number of prosumers in high retail regions of the world could generate some or virtually all their needs, at prices on par or cheaper than buying it from the grid. Add speculation about the falling costs of storage, microgrids and other technologies, and you can see the current interest in utility of the future, the topic of this book.

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Ketersediaan

090101999

Tersedia

Informasi Detil

Judul Seri

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No. Panggil

621.3 SIO f

Penerbit

Elsevier : United Kingdom., 2016

Deskripsi Fisik

xliv, 447 p.

Bahasa

English

ISBN/ISSN

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Klasifikasi

621.3

Tipe Isi

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Tipe Media

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Tipe Pembawa

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Edisi

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Subyek

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Info Detil Spesifik

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Pernyataan Tanggungjawab

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Versi lain/terkait

Lampiran Berkas

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