• What will be the effect of greater decentralization of power generation?

Decentralizing power generation will have many effects, some positive and some negative.  The positive aspects as I understand will be increased reliability as there will likely be more substations serving fewer people, thus the stations are less likely to reach capacity and shut down or brown out.  Additionally, more substations and providers means increased competition in the market, better service, lower prices, and a greater need for innovation in order to compete.  One of the negatives would be the potential for a smart grid, I think with more substations and providers, there will be less income generation which means the providers may end up relying on dependable technology and less likely to expand their business, which I understand is counter to one of my previous statements.  Kind of a catch-22.

• What new businesses will evolve in this changing landscape?

There will be an increased need for installers, both commercial and residential, an increased need for electrical engineers who are also educated in IT and IS, and I believe there will also be a greater need for government officials to regulate and rezone for the increase number of stations.

• What business can you see yourself creating to serve this market?

A third party company that compiles and analyzes the services provided by each generator would be a tremendous asset to any market. A company that compiles costs, reliability, profitability, innovations in infrastructure, and then publishes it to the community to better assist a consumer in making their decision.