Electricity is fundamental to our way of life in developed countries. Our household appliances; electronics for communication, information, and entertainment; and increasingly our transportation, are primarily powered by electricity. Cellphones and other electronics have undergone revolutionary changes, while the electric delivery model remains something Edison would recognize from his grid experiments in the 1880s. Distributed generation – in the form of rooftop solar, fuel cells, microturbines, and other technologies – threatens to disrupt both the delivery system and the business models of traditional utilities. This program will explore repercussions of the dramatic transformation and the legal and social responses that are inhibiting change.
Norman C. Bay of FERC will provide opening remarks after which the chair will moderate a discussion including: (1) "Regenerative Cities and the Law: A Focus on Neighborhood Microgrids" (Professor Bronin); (2) "Legal After-Shocks on the Energy Seismograph: Court Prohibition of Recent State Regulation and Promotion of Local Solar and Distributed Generation" (Professor Ferrey); "Prospects of Public Power" (Professor Outka) and "Defining Power Property Expectations"(Professor Pappas).
Business meeting at program conclusion.