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Reinventing electric utilities: Competition, citizen action, and clean power

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:676137

The authors consider the challenges for citizens and the utility industry in this new era of competition. Through an in-depth case study of the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), a once-troubled utility that is now widely regarded as a model for energy efficiency and renewable energy development, they explore the changes that have occurred in the utility industry, and the implications of those changes for the future. The SMUD portrait is complemented by regional case studies of Portland General Electric and the Washington Public Power Supply System, the New England Electric Service, Northern States Power, the Electricity Reliability Council of Texas, and others that highlight the efforts of citizen groups and utilities to eliminate unproductive and environmentally damaging sources of power and to promote the use of new, cleaner energy technologies. The authors present and explain some of the fundamental principles that govern restructuring, while acknowledging that solutions will depend upon the unique resource needs, culture, and utility structure of each particular region.

Research Organization:
Island Press, Washington, DC (United States)
OSTI ID:
676137
Report Number(s):
ISLAND--0083/XAB; ISBN 1559634553
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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