Energy companies and consumers are now rethinking the fundamentals of the design of the electrical grid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today’s grids depend on centralized electricity generation, with homes and businesses connected to a single large gas, coal, or nuclear power plant in their geographical location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As utilities seek to integrate more reliability and fewer carbon emissions, and customers seek more control and reliability, the concept of micro-grids is becoming increasingly popular.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As solar energy and its battery storage become cheaper and environmental concerns become more mainstream, technology companies are increasingly becoming micro-utilities, developing their own capacity to generate electricity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The same is true of smaller businesses and even neighborhoods that turn to local and municipal solar or wind power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One curse of these developments is the fact that electricity generation is a highly regulated industry, with very different rules in many states. These regulations could make it more difficult for groups and organizations to create their own micro-grid facilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the short term, organizations need to ensure that the power supply infrastructure is updated, tested, and reliable; in the longer term, companies should rethink how they consume, manage, and even generate electricity.<\/p>\n\n\n