DG Marketplace Applications - Electric Utilities

DG Market Growth
Utility customers are increasingly adopting onsite or distributed generation (DG) to save money on electric bills. One DG system provider guarantees electric bill savings of 10-15 percent in a turnkey operation where the utility customer does nothing but save on electric bills. Recent technology improvements, regulatory changes and more favorable government policies insure an increasing DG market, even for utilities who have experienced limited DG activity in the past.

Unplanned Customer DG Poses Revenue and System Operation Threats
While DG-related electric bill savings please customers, they pose serious lost revenue and system operation problems for utilities. DG-related revenue losses disproportionately impact profits for investor-owned utilities and create serious revenue shortfalls for public, municipal and cooperative utilities.

Proactive Strategies Increase Revenue and Improve System Efficiency
Proactive electric-supplier DG strategies, however, take advantage of the growing DG market to actually improve revenue and profit prospects, to integrate DG systems in utility DSM and demand response programs and to incorporate the benefits of DG in the system planning process. Critical issues in developing a DG strategy include identifying and assessing customers and customer segments who are likely to be targeted by DG suppliers, determining cost-effective options for retention of these customers, evaluating utility-supplied DG services and considering the interplay of energy services, demand response and DG and other factors.

DG Marketplace Products Support Utility Strategy Development
Identifying these issues, evaluating and prioritizing utility options are critical activities in developing an effective DG strategy which can actually increase revenues in spite of increased DG market activity.

DG Marketplace Studies and Analyses Provide Unique Quantitative Insights
General market trends do not provide the kind of actionable intelligence required to develop utility DG, CHP and micro-CHP strategies for individual utilities. However, detailed, specific, quantitative analysis results provided by DG Marketplace for individual electric utility service areas provide a reliable basis for transforming DG threats into profitable business strategies.

All DG Marketplace products reflect the application of the one-million-plus MAISY Utility Customer and Hourly Loads Databases applied to study DG, CHP and micro-CHP within individual utility service areas.