Few industries in the U.S. are as stuck in the past as our utilities are. In the face of growing challenges from climate change and the need for energy security, a system and a business model that each took more than a century to evolve must now be extensively retooled in the span of a few decades. Despite the need, many of the technologies and institutions needed are still being designed or tested. It is like rebuilding our entire airplane fleet, along with our runways and air traffic control system, while the planes are all up in the air filled with passengers.
In this accessible and insightful book, Peter Fox-Penner considers how utilities interact with customers and how the Smart Grid could revolutionize their relationship. Turning to the supply side, he considers the costs of, and tradeoffs between, large-scale power sources such as coal plants and small-scale power sources close to customers. Finally, he looks at how utilities can respond to all of these challenges and remain viable, while financing hundreds of billions of dollars of investment without much of an increase in sales.
Upon publication, Smart Power was praised as an instant classic on the future of energy utilities. This Anniversary Edition includes up-to-date assessments of the industry by such leading energy experts as Daniel Estes and Jim Rogers, as well as a new afterword from the author. Anyone who is interested in our energy future will appreciate the clear explanations and the in-depth analysis it offers.
Chapter 1. The First Electric Revolution Chapter 2. Deregulation, Past and Prologue
PART I. The Smart Grid and Electricity Sales Chapter 3. The New Paradigm Chapter 4. Smart Electric Pricing Chapter 5. The Regulatory Mountain Chapter 6. The (Highly Uncertain) Future of Sales
PART II. Supply Side Challenges Chapter 7. The Aluminum Sky Chapter 8. The Great Power Shift Chapter 9. Billion Dollar Bets
PART III. Business Models for the New Utility Industry Chapter 10. Energy Efficiency: The Buck Stops Where? Chapter 11. Two and a Half Business Models Chapter 12. The Smart Integrator Chapter 13. The Energy Services Utility
Conclusion
Technical Appendix A Technical Appendix B Technical Appendix C Notes Bibliography Abbreviations Acknowledgments Index
"[Smart Power] proves that understanding how the electricity utility market works – and how radically it must change – is fundamental to the clean energy debate."
