Investment in digital technologies by energy companies grew by more than 20 percent between 2014 and 2016.
Blockchain investments for the grid have gone from nearly nonexistent a year ago to approximately $170 million in January 2018.
Bloomberg New Energy Finance has projected annual benefits from energy digitalization will rise from $17 billion in 2017 to $38 billion in 2025.
However, there are increasing tensions between digital innovations well positioned to deliver benefits that consumers want and policy that creates barriers to their adoption.
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Electricity markets that could enable participation of solutions like electric vehicles and energy storage are often stymied by technology-specific mandates and outdated approaches to governance.
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Federal energy efficiency standards often fail to contemplate sophisticated energy management systems, internet-connected devices, and data analytics that can enable buildings to optimize an entire system while sharing savings with consumers.
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Emerging technologies and consumer choice have the potential to drive greater emissions reductions than regulation alone but are slow to be considered as options for compliance.
EC-MAP is challenging stakeholders to consider a different future—one where digital innovations enable consumers to express preferences that drive markets. This future is already emerging…
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Artificial intelligence is enabling self-healing grids that can re-route power to maintain reliability and resilience.
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Blockchain technologies are illuminating sustainability attributes of energy and enabling secure, decentralized transactions.
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Crowdsourcing platforms are unleashing new sources of investment for both physical and digital infrastructure.
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The internet of things is connecting appliances and devices that integrate consumer preferences and optimize savings based on real-time price signals.
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Software and systems are enabling new business models for energy services that deliver consumer benefits at lower costs.
New Policy for an Era of Energy Digitalization
Adoption of these digital tools and platforms remains nascent; however, most do not require additional R&D. Rather, they require policy, regulation, market design, and tools that can enable stakeholders to understand and capture their value.
EC-MAP is engaging stakeholders in a dialogue focused on building the policy and regulatory architectures necessary to unlock these and other digital innovations. We know we don’t have all the answers. That’s why we plan to work with incumbent stakeholders, new stakeholders, policymakers—and you—to build a map to get there.
Read more in our Power White Paper