In 1882, Thomas Edison opened Pearl Street Station, the first central power plant in the United States. Originally serving just 59 customers, the plant grew to provide power to over 500 customers in two years. Since then, the U.S. power grid has expanded exponentially. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the current U.S. power grid is comprised of over 7,300 power plants and 160,000 miles of high-voltage lines, serving ....

Product lifecycles fundamentally consist of the build, the use, and the inevitable end-of-life (EOL). As is common in our disposable society, strategic planning for extending life is often left out of the equation. Within the solar industry, development of photovoltaic (PV) systems, large and small, often include the basics of development (cost/performance analysis, build out), operation (energy yield, maintenance), and EOL, commonly based on yea....

The straightforward relationship between utilities generating and distributing power, and the customers consuming and paying for it, is history. Consumers are morphing into “prosumers” who use as well as produce electricity – and even into “flexumers”: those who not only consume and produce, but also lend flexibility to the grid. The implications for utilities are hard to miss. If you make your money by delivering electrons when pros....