Getting to Utility 2.0: Rebooting the Retail Electric Utility in the U.S.

This Article examines the drivers for this perceived need to revisit the utility business model, focusing primarily on the declining cost of DG resources and the resilience benefits of DG resources in addressing the impact of future extreme weather events. Second, this article reviews the various “Utility 2.0” proceedings underway across the United States, and the common themes emerging from those proceedings. The third section of the Article discusses the possible approaches to a utility business model, based on experience in wholesale and retail electricity markets in the United States and Europe. Fourth, this Article will examine lessons learned regarding the success of business structures in achieving the objective of ensuring nondiscriminatory access to electric network, based on previous industry restructurings, including the actions of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to restructure the electric industry during the 1990s, as well as the experience in Europe with the various utility business models. Finally, the Article concludes with recommendations and a discussion of the challenges facing regulators as they assume the task of defining the Utility 2.0 business model