2020 Predictions and Trends: the decision making process turnaround

For many decades Industrial, commercial, and institutional energy users have become accustomed to follow power rate and other energy sources signals emanated by the respective regulators.
Accordingly, in this environment, it was up to managers - close to the operations floor - to identify energy related opportunities that would bring a hefty benefit and present them to the upper management to “go for it or not”.
A silent and important change is occurring: a comprehensive list of energy related opportunities is there. Most of them are market driven. A new scenario. Demand response programs,  distributed generation projects, on-line energy management, contracting power, gas, biomass, etc. on the deregulated markets, higher voltage connection to access the public power grid, energy efficiency retrofits and the list goes on and on!
It is a new “puzzle”. As opposed to waiting for providers knock on the client’s doors to present their offers and show the associated benefits, nowadays upper managers, VPs, COOs, CEOs and board members come up with a “new” question: what’s the challenge?
In these new times well-educated decision making processes is the name of the game. Much more emphasis on “the whole picture”, less on “specifics”. An important shift in the way clients will lock deals is to be expected. Contracting structured solutions that include financial, technical and management aspects and not necessarily assets.
Welcome to this vibrant and new era.