The outlook for renewable energy growth and smart grid integration for U.S. utilities this year is strong, expensive, and unpredictable, with a chance of regulatory and business confusion.
Black & Veatch released its 2013 Strategic Directions in the U.S. Electric Industry report on Wednesday, summarizing the latest views of some 600 utility and energy industry executives surveyed by the utility engineering and consulting firm on subjects ranging from the price of natural gas to the interplay of smart grid and energy storage in managing solar and wind power.
Wednesday’s report showed some continuations from past years' surveys, such as the continued expectation that energy prices will rise in the long term, ongoing concern over aging infrastructure and changing regulations, and the ascendance of ever-cheaper natural gas as an “environmentally friendly” technology. At the same time, the 2013 outlook revealed some new trends as well. Take a look:
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