The U.S. electric utility industry faces the greatest challenge in its history. The demand for electric services to meet the needs of our growing population and to power our increasingly digital and connected economy continues to rise. At the same time, high demand for commodities such as steel and cement is causing cost increases for building all electric infrastructure systems, including every type of new power plant, whether it’s fueled by coal, nuclear power, natural gas, or renewable sources of energy. Concerns about global climate change and other environmental issues have created a new industry emphasis on more energy-efficient products and services and low-emission generation sources. New distribution end-use technologies, such as advanced automation and communications and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), will dramatically change how utilities deliver electricity and how customers use it, allowing new efficiencies and greater customization of electric service.
Via Transforming America’s Power Industry: The Investment Challenge 2010-2030 [PDF].
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- The Plan to Build the Next Electric Grid | Popular Science
- ‘Smart Energy’ to Revolutionize Industry Structure — Nikkei Electronics Asia — July 2009 – Tech-On!
- Solar Power Generation Capacity May Double in 2010 (Correct) – Bloomberg.com
