The global energy system is changing, and customers must take centre stage

The author asserts that the global energy system is undergoing a disruptive transformation where customers have evolved from passive consumers into 'prosumers' who generate and manage their own energy. To support this, utilities must shift from traditional production and delivery to providing integrated platforms that enable the sharing of energy across people, sectors (sector coupling), and peer-to-peer models. The author calls for regulatory frameworks that emphasize smart energy and cost-reflective pricing to facilitate decarbonisation.

• The role of the energy customer has shifted from a passive consumer to a 'prosumer' who integrates their own energy generation with smart consumption, making the customer the primary driver of the energy system's transformation.
• Utilities are transitioning from traditional energy producers and deliverers to 'enablers' that provide platforms for customers to manage decentralized assets and engage in three types of energy sharing: between people/regions, across different energy use cases (sector coupling), and through peer-to-peer models such as virtual power plants.
• The author advocates for regulatory changes to support the energy transition, specifically calling for a greater focus on the connected smart energy system as a whole and the implementation of cost-reflective pricing structures to ensure a level playing field between energy forms.
• In Germany, the adoption of distributed grid-edge energy has seen significant growth, with solar energy capacity reaching 41 GW by the end of 2016.

APA

Terium, P. (2017). The global energy system is changing, and customers must take centre stage. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/energy-transition/how-customers-are-taking-centre-stage-to-transform-the-energy-system/

Chicago

Terium, Peter. The global energy system is changing, and customers must take centre stage. World Economic Forum, 2017. https://www.weforum.org/stories/energy-transition/how-customers-are-taking-centre-stage-to-transform-the-energy-system/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Terium |first1=Peter |title=The global energy system is changing, and customers must take centre stage |publisher=World Economic Forum |date=24 March 2017 |url=https://www.weforum.org/stories/energy-transition/how-customers-are-taking-centre-stage-to-transform-the-energy-system/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{terium2017global, author = {Terium, Peter}, title = {{The global energy system is changing, and customers must take centre stage}}, publisher = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2017}, month = mar, url = {https://www.weforum.org/stories/energy-transition/how-customers-are-taking-centre-stage-to-transform-the-energy-system/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }