An Electric Revolution, Chapter Four: Microgrids: Where Technology and Consumers Connect
Look at what distributed computing did for the IT industry. We wouldn’t have millions of software engineers if we still relied entirely on mainframe computers hooked up to dumb terminals. Why? It’s too expensive, with access limited to the privileged. Distributed power is real democracy.
Today’s electricity users are not engaged with the industry beyond flipping switches and paying bills. One Google executive likened electricity use to being forced to shop in a grocery store where the prices are hidden, and paying a lump sum at the end of the month. Electricity consumers don’t know about and can’t shop in other stores that might offer money-saving options. This concept is foreign to almost any other industry — on its own a reason for reform.
