Smart Power by Peter Fox-Penner

Coming Spring 2010 from Island Press!

A New Book on the Transformation of the Energy Industry

A new national policy to address the impact of climate change is currently under debate in the U.S. and is likely to result in a cap on greenhouse gas emissions, which will significantly impact the energy industry. Regardless of the specific terms adopted, there is no question that utilities will need to shift their focus to the development and acquisition of new sources of renewable energy and low-carbon power.

Meanwhile, a technical revolution known as the Smart Grid is underway in the electric power sector, providing dramatic new opportunities for customers to control their power usage and for utilities to change the way they operate. President Obama has declared the Smart Grid a national priority and expanded funding for pilot programs, creating a tidal wave of interest among utilities, states and municipalities, federal agencies, and private equity firms and venture capitalists.

There has also been an explosion of interest in transmission and renewable energy infrastructure. There are at least four proposed bills before Congress that address transmission siting and planning, as well as potential legislation for renewable energy standards. The electric industry is planning significant expansion of transmission lines and there is also talk of creating a national transmission superhighway.

These unprecedented developments will prompt utilities to undergo the largest and most significant changes in their history, transforming them from regulated commodity energy firms to low-carbon network operators. The combination of industry structure, regulation, and business mission that utilities adopted over a century ago must now be retooled for an era with new priorities, goals, and technologies.

Popular Policy, Textbook, and Business Strategy- All in One

Smart Power examines strategies for the development of an energy efficient business model for the utility industry. It reviews the current prospects for long-term power generation alternatives, from solar panels attached to our homes and offices, to new coal-burning plants that will allow for the capture and sequestration of carbon emissions.

Smart Power explains how and why the utility industry must adapt to the climate imperative by examining the industry’s technology, cost characteristics, and ability to function as a sustainable business, as well as the practical and political dimensions of making these dramatic changes. The book is relevant to readers who follow business strategy, public policies related to regulated and infrastructure industries, and financial and business issues involving the energy industry.

Among the hundreds of books about potential U.S. climate policies, only Smart Power covers all of the major electricity policy topics in a single text and in language everyone can understand: climate, energy efficiency, smart grid, transmission, renewable energy, and energy regulation. It is a compelling read for citizens interested in green energy and climate policy, as well as for policymakers, students, and all industry practitioners and climate change activists.

About the Author

Dr. Peter Fox-Penner is a consulting executive and internationally recognized authority on energy and electric power industry issues. He is a principal and chairman emeritus of The Brattle Group, a leading international economic consulting firm.

He is on the advisory boards of Gridpoint and Enviance and is a frequent speaker and author on energy issues.

	Here's what industry leaders are saying about Smart Power:
	"If you're serious about policies that place energy efficiency on a level playing field with new energy supplies, and energy policy generally, this book is essential reading." ~ Art Rosenfeld, Former Commissioner of the California Energy Commission **************************************************************** “In Smart Power Mr. Fox-Penner provides a valuable and insightful analysis of where the U.S. electric power industry is headed and what it must do to successfully transition to a low carbon environment. He recognizes that technology will transform a centralized, passive power system into one that is dynamic, interactive, and increasingly customer-centric. To succeed in this new framework, he persuasively argues that the industry must add value by providing least cost energy services, including energy efficiency. In the case of the investor-owned segment of the industry this will require a fundamental restructuring of investment incentives by regulators. The public and co-operative sectors are better positioned, since their business model provides ample incentive to deliver least cost energy solutions to their customer-owners. This book should be required reading for all industry regulators as they prepare to confront the challenges of this new paradigm.” ~ Mark Crisson, Chief Executive Officer of the American Public Power Association