The challenges and opportunities offered by renewables for Utility companies

With the rapid uptake of solar and wind technology in Australia (and elsewhere across regions of Asia and Europe) the traditional utility revenue model is being challenged. Off grid technology costs are declining, making solar competitive with traditional grid models. The talk will focus on a number of case studies in Australia of how utilities are responding to this challenge and aiming to turn it into an opportunity for customer retention and revenue growth. However, with this change, there is the possibility of stranded assets as traditional grid models of providing power are not needed as much. The talk will explore how the peak and off-peak power patterns are changing and what this could mean for the utility company of the future. I will also touch on how banks like ANZ are looking to respond to this and provide different forms of finance to support these new models of providing power.