Utility Paradigm Changing Globally in Response to Distributed Energy and Digitization
Enrico Viale, head of global thermal generation for the Italian energy company Enel, kicked off an international power industry event yesterday with a keynote presentation describing the “needs” of utilities in the future.
With more than 100 power plants in 33 nations generating and distributing energy to more than 60 million customers, Enel’s multi-platform fleet is rapidly changing. “We are in the middle of a transition to a new energy paradigm characterized by the rise of renewables and distributed energy. These pose challenges to traditional generation and power network systems,” he told attendees at Power-Gen Europe in Milan, Italy, on July 21.
From Viale’s global perspective, all utilities are being influenced by four major factors: “persistent market volatility, a growing environmental culture, calls for sustainability, and the megatrend of digitalization.”…