The Future of Decentralized Electricity Distribution Networks

The Future of Decentralized Electricity Distribution Networks assesses the evolution of the services delivered by the distribution network as demands placed on it proliferates from distributed, self-generating, power storing and power sharing ‘consumers’ – which Sioshansi terms ‘prosumagers’. The work outlines the processes by which passive and homogeneous electricity consumers become prosumers and prosumagers, the nature of their service needs, and dependence on the services delivered by the distribution network diverges. Contributors assess how consumers are discovering and exercising options to migrate away from total reliance on upstream generators to produce electricity and on the delivery network for its transmission. As they do so, the "utilities" – be they distributors or retailers – must rethink the traditional utility business model. How will they find sufficient revenues to cover their fixed and variable costs as volumetric consumption declines when some consumers become prosumers – or go a step further and become prosumagers? This work argues that new service, business models and new methods for collecting sufficient revenues to maintain the network are mandatory for the survival of modern utilities.