Here’s the first in a series of articles that I am coauthoring about how the new direction in the energy utilities marketplace can affect the choices for a locality like the City of Davis. This one is with Gerry Braun. This first article reviews the findings of study conducted last year that focused on a more traditional utility models, and then sketches the most salient options. This and future articles with other co authors will include:

• What are the options going forward for Davis and what have we looked at.
• Describing decentralized energy systems
• How a decentralized energy system might fit into achieving local goals (e.g., climate action plan) and affect economic activity.
• Barriers to achieving local goals in this future scenario.
• Comparisons of potential business models to overcome those barriers.