Community energy is the
next big threat to utility companies – unless they manage to become part of
this emerging energy economy. They still have a window of opportunity, says
Craig Cavanaugh of software services company Omnetric Group, who spent six
months researching the energy community market in Europe and the US. He sees
three main opportunities for utilities: they can become “collaborative
partner”, “community energy service provider” or “community energy platform
provider”. In all cases technology is the key. “If utilities don’t move,
communities will act on their own”.
“Community Energy is potentially one of the most
important forces to disrupt the energy system”, says Craig Cavanaugh,
CEO for the Americas of Omnetric Group, a joint-venture of Accenture and
Siemens which provides technology solutions to the energy market. Cavanaugh and
his team spent the past six months on research, and held interviews with
community energy leaders and utility executives in Austria, Germany, the
Netherlands, the UK and USA. They published their findings on 17 November in a
white paper ‘Power to the People’.
Technological developments, for example in microgrids and
blockchain technology, are quickly making it possible for communities – which
could be consumer groups, businesses, or local governments – to engage in
common projects for generation, distribution, management and consumption of
energy.
Read the EnergyPost
story - “How utilities can deal with the threat of community energy.”
