Among the blizzard of information that crossed my desk last month, 2 items made me think that whilst smart grid technology has still got some obstacles to overcome; particularly surrounding security issues; it’s the regulatory and policy demands that are in place to protect electrical utility users that are most likely to hold it back. The 1st was the latest information on the on-going saga concerning consolidation and merger through 2 deals in the US, namely Duke Energy Corporation and Progress Energy Inc and Allegheny Energy with First Energy. However the regulatory authorities are not against the merger but in this case they are making sure they get their pound of flesh and extracting rate credits or reductions of varying amounts to Allegheny’s customers in Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The original merger proposal called for a $2.5 million rate credit for Allegheny’s Maryland customers. That amount was increased, with Maryland PSC approval, to $6.5 […]