Powering the Future: Evaluating the Contenders That Aim to Rule the Distributed Grid

The traditional power industry – underpinned by large, distant, fuel-burning plants and transmission over long distances to reach end users – is on the cusp of serious disruption from distributed generation (DG). However, what type of entity or partnership will emerge to really challenge utilities and other incumbents remains unclear for many. We use a new methodology to evaluate emerging DG players using both technical value and business execution criteria, and find that a specific set of installers and developers of renewables are well placed to succeed, as well as a handful of large industrial conglomerates. In most of these cases, select partnerships to bolster technical breadth are key, including working with leading DG startups that we discuss.