Building the Utility of the Future

Today, policies are being established that will continue to bolster the current utility model that does not fully incorporate the time and locational importance of energy use – with different values to the utility, the consumer, and the climate. As the grid increasingly moves towards decarbonization, new challenges are emerging to address changing load curves and keep the power on even when the sun isn’t shining or wind isn’t blowing. In this evolving context advanced technologies like smart meters, increasingly granular data, and cloud-computing present a huge new opportunity to measure energy savings more reliably and precisely and support a cleaner, more resilient, and affordable energy grid. However, there is a need for policies to evolve as well—including providing access to utility data, promoting innovation, measuring real-world outcomes, and pay-for-performance—in order to fully leverage these advancements. Particularly as we see significant new federal and state funding for energy efficiency, now is a critical time to advance models that will support the best outcomes for today and the future. This panel will discuss what policymakers and utilities need to know about the “utility of the future” and the technologies and practices that will better serve carbon reductions, consumer confidence, and reliability.