TY  - CHAP
U1  - Buchbeitrag
A1  - Löbbe, Sabine
A1  - Hackbarth, André
ED  - Sioshansi, Fereidoon
T1  - The transformation of the German electricity sector and the emergence of new business models in distributed energy systems
T2  - Innovation and disruption at the grid's edge : how distributed energy resources are disrupting the utility business model
N2  - Induced by a societal decision to phase out conventional energy production - the so-called Energiewende (energy transition) - the rise of distributed generation acts as a game changer within the German energy market. The share of electricity produced from renewable resources increased to 31,6% in 2015 (UBA, 2016) with a targeted share of renewable resources in the electricity mix of 55%-60% in 2035 (RAP, 2015), opening perspectives for new products and services. Moreover, the rapidly increasing degree of digitization enables innovative and disruptive business models in niches at the grid's edge that might be the winners of the future. It also stimulates the market entry of newcomers and competitors from other sectors, such as IT or telecommunication, challenging the incumbent utilities. For example, virtual and decentral market places for energy are emerging; a trend that is likely to speed up considerably by blockchain technology, if the regulatory environment is adjusted accordingly. Consequently, the energy business is turned upside down, with customers now being at the wheel. For instance, more than one-third of the renewable production capacities are owned by private persons (Trendsearch, 2013). Therefore, the objective of this chapter is to examine private energy consumer and prosumer segments and their needs to derive business models for the various decentralized energy technologies and services. Subsequently, success factors for dealing with the changing market environment and consequences of the potentially disruptive developments for the market structure are evaluated.
Y1  - 2017
SN  - 978-0-12-811758-3
SB  - 978-0-12-811758-3
SP  - 287
EP  - 318
S1  - 22
PB  - Elsevier
CY  - London
ER  -