2018 Energy and Utilities Trends

Continuing with my series of 2018 predictions in the energy and utilities industry launched last week with prediction 1 on the rise of RenTechs, be sure to read prediction 2 on self-powering communities and prediction 3 on the role AI and robotics will play for utilities. Because renewable energy is rapidly becoming more affordable, communities are starting to see the possibilities of implementing community owned and operated renewable generation facilities. We see two types of communities forming. The first are physical communities--be it cities, towns, or campuses--in which decisions to implement renewable or green energy are made by mayors, counselors or facility owners. Virtual communities, on the other hand, form peer-to-peer groups in which members can trade energy and share their energy assets in a peer-to-peer network.