For most of the twentieth century, electric and gas utilities focused predominantly on the operational aspects of their business. Given their unique position in many states as the sole provider of electric and gas service in their franchise area, very few utilities focused their attention on the customer experience. For their part, customers have been largely disengaged with their utility provider. In 2016, the average utility customer spent a mere eight minutes looking at their utility bill, or 40 seconds a month. Compared to Facebook, where users spend an average of 20 minutes daily looking at the website, and financial institutions, where customers visit their bank's website or applications on average 17 times a month, utility customers are considerably less engaged.
Reducing worldwide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions within the power and transportation sectors is required for mitigating the worst impacts of climate change. According to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), reducing annual GHG emissions by 45 percent by 2030, compared to 2010 levels, will limit net global temperature increases to 1.5°C. Reduction in carbon‐based pollutants, largely in the forms of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4), are the principal aims of GHG reduction efforts constituting the bulk of global “decarbonization” efforts. Upon taking office, President Biden's Administration (Administration) sought to cut US economy‐wide GHG emissions by between 50–52 percent by 2030 as compared to 2005 levels. As of 2022, the United States has consistently been the second largest contributor of GHG emissions behind China since 2006, with these two nations combined contributing a total of 52 percent of global GHG emissions according to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Battery storage has emerged as a critical technology coupled with renewable and distributed energy resources (DERs) in efforts to decarbonize both sectors.
Underneath the labyrinth of Internal Revenue Service (IRS) tax rules is a sophisticated system designed to generate revenue for the government, redistribute wealth among US citizens, and motivate certain investment and consumer behavior. Government is empowered to choose what and how and whom to tax based on the nature and purpose of the proposed tax. In doing so, lawmakers attempt to be fair, equitable, and pro‐growth in setting tax policy. The application of tax policy to address climate change has been primarily focused on reducing the use of fossil fuels with more recent discussions considering the imposition of a tax on carbon. An alternative strategy to influence the public would be to modify the tax policy in the form of a pre‐taxable income benefit known as the Utility Savings Account (USA), where the term “Utility” includes electric, gas, heating oil, and energy efficiency and renewable energy services.
Interest and availability of photovoltaic solar (solar PV) as a source of renewable electricity generation is rapidly increasing across the country; however, its penetration on a national scale remains very low. There are many natural constraints that can serve as factors, including large upfront module costs, locations that do not receive enough sunlight throughout the year, and the inability to be self‐sufficient from using solar PV power alone. Although the use of this specific distributed energy resource (DER) universally throughout the United States in the near future is improbable, it is interesting to ponder a future where solar PV and other DERs are as common as the current methods we use to generate, transmit, distribute, and consume power. Thinking this way helps identify where we are prone to imprecisely estimating outcomes that could have far‐reaching impacts.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.