The 2015 edition of The Energy Industry Update has been released by ScottMadden, an energy consulting firm. The report points out as market changes, regulatory processes, and technology evolution unfold, energy and utility companies will face them and adapt. Themed “Changes: Turn and Face the Strange,” this issue surveys a broad array of strategic issues, including:

• Insights drawn from a first-hand look at developments and lessons learned in Germany. The Solar Energy Power Association and ScottMadden recently partnered to lead a fact-finding mission to uncover the story behind the headlines;
• A review of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed Clean Power Plan designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from existing power plants. The report examines its timeline, implications, and issues in the wake of ongoing political and regulatory activity and a groundswell of comments from all sides; and
• A view of how utilities are looking with interest at electric vehicles, hoping to increase energy sales and burnish their brands. The report examines customer and vehicle characteristics and some generic business models being tested in this growing market.
• A review of natural gas prices and gas production from shale formations. The report considers the latest dynamics in this market, including what (if any) impact low oil on which prices are having.

“For months, indeed years, we have been anticipating major changes in the industry from a number of factors—low natural gas prices, technology advancement, and profound regulatory changes,” said Greg Litra, partner and energy, clean tech, and sustainability research lead at ScottMadden. “After being in the distance, they are now on the doorstep, and energy and utility companies are responding to these changes by testing new business models and adapting to or embracing new technologies.”