Articles, essays, and talks of Rey Lugtu

(Published in Business Mirror under the Mirror Image column, Sept 17, 2008) Historically, the relationship between utilities and consumers has been rather lopsided—utilities had the power, both literally and figuratively. But the confluence of climate- change concerns, rising energy costs and technology advances leading to greater consumer involvement is now radically redefining that relationship. IBM’s recent surveys of 1,900 energy consumers and nearly 100 industry executives across the globe reveal major changes under way—a more heterogeneous consumer base, evolving industry models and a stark departure from a decades-old value chain. We believe companies need to prepare now for a participatory network that enables customers to choose from a wide variety of suppliers, actively manage their consumption and even sell back surplus power they generate. In decades past, as long as the energy flowed when and where required, residential and small commercial customers were satisfied, leavin...