ATLANTA - Despite the fact that little of the hype surrounding distributed generation (DG) has come to fruition, some utilities still see it as a way to becoming full-service energy providers, and, according to Chartwell data, 30% of utilities offer C&I customers onsite power solutions. Another 28% of utilities are planning or considering this product, meaning onsite power’s growth potential is second only to green power, research firm Chartwell reports in Distributed Generation: Winning Utility Strategies.
Of course other utilities have become disillusioned and dropped it altogether. "When people lose their dream, they tend not to pick up the pieces and run with the parts that will work," one source tells Chartwell. "Energy companies are looking for something big, and this just doesn’t fit. They don’t like the messy business of customer-specific applications."
According to Chartwell survey data, however, onsite power came in at No. 3 for the "most profitable" C&I product/service. It also ranked No. 5 as the product "most popular" with C&I customers.
Distributed Generation: Winning Utility Strategies goes beyond the hype to help define what it takes for a utility to win with DG. The just-released 160-page research report provides an in-depth analysis of the industry based on exclusive interviews with a variety of utilities regarding their DG activities. The report also includes:
• Data from Chartwell’s proprietary survey of 80 utilities regarding their plans to offer DG or onsite power.
• In-depth analysis of the industry and energy providers’ levels of involvement, including the obstacles and opportunities various players face.
• Eleven in-depth case studies of utilities offering customers DG in various forms – based on lengthy interviews with program leaders.
• Analysis of discussions with several venture capitalists regarding their strategies for investing in DG technologies.
• Profiles of more than 18 technology developers and manufacturers, many based on in-depth interviews with officials with those companies.
Whether you have invested in a DG offering or are in a wait-and-see mode, you need to know who’s doing what and why, as well as the results of various utility efforts. Distributed Generation: Winning Utility Strategies will be useful not only to energy providers, but also to venture capitalists and investors, technology developers and manufacturers, and others watching the industry unfold.
Distributed Generation: Winning Utility Strategies is available for $995.
Press contact: Jennifer Allen - 404.237.9099.
