Households with the highest electric bills percentage have far less income on average, are generally older and have fewer earners, and are more likely to be headed by a female, to be headed by a black individual, and to reside in rural America.

“When people complain and say, “not in my backyard,” I find it difficult to commiserate. When I see transmission towers, I see the infrastructure necessary to drive economic opportunity and prosperity. And the energy that makes everyday life easier to enjoy.”

Guidehouse’s Mackinnon Lawrence, Nick McClusky, Bill Hughes, and Joe Owens analyze survey results.

“What we do have are lessons learned to share with our peers who have wildfire risk in their service territory, or who will have it in the next five to ten years, as our environment continues to change and forces us to adapt to the conditions.”

“We must have liability caps. It may seem unachievable to change state and/or federal laws, but utilities’ exposure to these liabilities must be capped. Customers are being impacted by legal costs associated with wildfires. Unless reasonable limits are placed on wildfire liabilities, access to capital will be hampered.”

Utilities now have public safety power shutoffs and design systems with sensors, so if fire meets the line, it automatically de-energizes as fast as one-tenth of a second. Expect that arsenal to grow, even with improvements in vegetation management and undergrounding of lines.

Fifteen Guidehouse experts hit their buzzers and answer our questions: Danielle Vitoff, Peter Shaw, Amul Sathe, Ed Batalla, Jenny Hampton, Keshav Sarin, Erik Larson, Derek Jones, Debbie Brannan, Robyn Link, Latisha Younger-Canon, Nathan White, Shaun Fernando, Aditya Ranade, Steve Waller.

“Much infrastructure growth and research and development are going to require continued government intervention, whether in the form of funding for research or loan guarantees. The picture, in my mind, has been getting a little clearer over the last few years, but I still don’t see a clear path to either 2030 or 2040.”

“The distribution system needs communication and management systems to provide a greater understanding of what’s happening on the distribution grid as large and small customers are installing more distributed energy resources. With this, utilities can better manage peak demands and ensure reliability.”

“The most important concern is how we can address present risks, as well as tackle electrification requirements of the future.”