Real-time pricing and electric utility industry restructuring: Is the future ``out of control?``

摘要: Increased price transparency in electric power markets will be the driving force for fundamental changes packaging of energy services electricity customers. Rapid advances communications and control capabilities may make it possible merchants to provide highly customized that lower cost service by allowing automated responses real-time signals. These new approaches imply less reliance on centralized match supply demand under rapidly changing market conditions. Instead, they use as a broadcast media stimulate decentralized, distributed economic behaviors. Electricity suppliers driven intense competitive pressures minimize average their supply-demand portfolios through aggregation diverse loads, storage, generation, dynamic load management agreements with Real-time pricing programs currently offered North American utilities barely scratch surface this opportunity. Most offer minimal technical support customers; none flexible tools financial risk management. The opportunity providing these types customers commercial sector is especially significant, since necessary prices substantially overlap those being developed remote monitoring ofmore » building equipment full-service operations maintenance agreements.« less