Ten Predictions for the Utility Industry

Energy efficiency will become the "first fuel" choice for electric
utilities, according to a list of Top 10 Predictions for the North
American Utility Industry, published by Rick Nicholson, vice president
of research at Energy Insights. 

Utilities will increase their investments in energy efficiency
and demand response under increasing economic and policy pressure in
the years ahead, according to the list in the online edition of Utility Automation & Engineering T&D.

Other predictions include:

• Renewable energy growth will slow in 2009 but rebound in 2010.
• Utilities will place greater emphasis on distributed energy as a grid support tool.
• Intelligent grid technology spending will reach $70 billion in 2013.
• Web portals will be the fastest way to enable active consumer energy management.
• Energy trading and risk management technology spending will stall.
• Generators will be focused on managing and reducing carbon exposure.
• Scarcity of clean water and availability of new technology will awaken the sleeping water market.
• Gas utilities will be hit harder than electric utilities by the economic crisis.
• U.S. utility IT spending growth will decrease to 1.9 percent in 2009, down from 5.9% prior to the economic crisis.

Read further details about these predictions at the link below. Also, the Department of Energy this week released three reports that paint a grim picture of the challenges posed by the condition of the U.S. electrical grid.