Forget Utility 2.0—the Power Sector Needs ‘Regulation of the Future’
New technologies and financial innovation have launched an era of consumer choice and control in the power sector the likes of which the industry has never seen before.
Solar panels, smart meters, energy storage, electric vehicles and microgrids are transforming the distribution grid and spurring debates around a model for “utility 2.0.” But while technology is stimulating change, policy drove the conversation at a meeting of electricity industry leaders last week, hosted by the Edison Foundation’s Institute for Electric Innovation.
“Let’s not have another discussion about grid of the future — utility 2.0, utility 3.0,” said Lawrence Jones, vice president of utility innovations and infrastructure resilience at Alstom.
