Creative Destruction of the Old Electric Paradigm

The economic theory of creative destruction is the key force to the destruction of the vertically integrated industry and the emergence of a new paradigm of global or universal electric service. Companies, states and countries need to develop shared vision initiatives of the new paradigm.

Creative Destruction of the Old Electric Paradigm

By José Antonio Vanderhorst-Silverio, Ph.D.
Systemic Consultant: Electricity

Copyright © 2008 José Antonio Vanderhorst-Silverio. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, without written permission from José Antonio Vanderhorst-Silverio. This article is an unedited, an uncorrected, draft material of The EWPC Textbook. Please write to javs@ieee.org to contact the author for any kind of engagement.

The new shared vision of the electricity industry is about universal or global electricity service as described in the EWPC article Global Electric Service Shared Vision. This is a follow up from the EWPC article Vertical Integration/Deregulation Debate vs. EWPC Generative Dialogue, which suggests once again ending the old debate to concentrate on a much needed generative dialogue as exemplified in the GMH article Solving the Tough Electric Power Market Problem to face the looming (systemic) crisis.

Such systemic crisis on electricity is the basis for the emergent markets, different from the vertical integration and total deregulation markets, as the system and information technology revolutions are making their inroads. In economics this is about creative destruction waiting to happen to the “Old Paradigm” of vertical integration.

For example, as Bob Amorosi explained in the reference, “there are many big players in the electronics industry that are developing or already have developed home automation technologies, smart appliances, real-time in-home energy monitors, and smart communicating thermostats, to name a few. They are viewed as consumer products that consumers will generally be willing to buy if it helps them to become more energy efficient and practice more energy conservation.” Those new technologies are now available to develop the resources of the demand side.

Those technologies are in effect waiting to destruct all vestiges of the vertical integrated utilities (the Old) paradigm by allowing integrating demand to power system planning, operation and control, thus changing the Old Paradigm centered only on the development of the resources of the supply side. Power system planners and operators will be able to plan and operate the power system by changing generation “stocks” and now also demand “stocks” after the processes of long term planning and of security constraint unit (supply and demand) commitment. For more details read the EWPC article Power System Operation Stocks and Flows.

As most readers learned from Professor Banks, that is not based on the first chapters of Econ 101, but taking into account inventories of generating capacity and inventories of customers demand response (from agreements made with 2GRs) available to plan (assuring long run system adequacy) and available to operate (assuring short run system security) the power system reliably.

Any company, state or country that wishes to develop a shared vision of the power industry is able to get a head start with rich information available in the GMH Blog, the EWPC Blog or the many comments under EnergyPulse articles.

Reference and context: Continental Grid Vision Needed, by Martin Rosenberg, Editor-in-Chief, EnergyBiz Magazine.