Disruptive forces – a combination of supportive government subsidies and advances in technologies such as micro combined heat and power boilers, solar photovoltaics and battery storage – are making it relatively easy and cost-effective for people in developed countries to unplug from the grid. Yes, fossil fuel prices have fallen, but photovoltaic and battery storage prices are also dropping quickly.
As a result, residences and small businesses are rapidly becoming more energy independent, producing electric utilities’ core product – electricity. We estimate that every two minutes a home or business in Europe and North America goes solar.
The new make vs. buy calculus
How utilities can remain relevant to customers who produce their own power
James Basden, Ponniah Vijendran
Mapping Customer Perceptions – And Acting On Them
Residences and small businesses are becoming more energy independent.
