Via Slate, an interesting look at on how Opower’s behavioral approach which is designed to reduce energy consumption actually persuaded some Republicans to consume more. This is why financial incentives, smart markets, and transactive grids are the real future of inspiring reduced consumption: It’s a sad statistical reality: Half of us are below average. But […]
Read more »Via Energy Collective, an interesting article on microgrids and the possibility that they can disrupt and disintermediate the utilities of today, just like what happened to the phone companies decades ago: The past two decades of telecommunications history can serve to illustrate trends and develop insights that apply to electric grid modernization – the evolution […]
Read more »Courtesy of MIT’s Technology Review, an interesting look at economic demand response in which companies can effectively bid their power reductions into the energy markets—either in real time or for the following day–whenever they want and earn money from it. Starting to sound very close to smart markets… The off switch is a fast-growing source […]
Read more »Via Smart Grid News, an interesting article on what the author calls the “Demand Response Catch 22”. Unfortunately, while the article correctly highlights the need to incentive people to change behavior, it falls into the typical narrow thinking that such incentives should revolve around appliances. We continue to believe that giving people an economic right […]
Read more »Two recent articles of interest, both addressing the difficulties of articulating smart grid benefits to end-consumers. The irony of both is that they each take a roundabout way of identifying and recognizing that monetary signals would address the problem but then fall short of reaching the logical conclusion: smart markets in which saved units of […]
Read more »Via Courthouse News, an interesting article on how one of California’s largest water providers can reward customers who use the resource efficiently under a new plan approved by the state. That said – while rewards are positive motivators – without a mechanism (smart market) to allow customers to monetize, trade, save, and allocate rewards as […]
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