The top most energy regulator in US is seeking public opinion in shaping the Office of Public Participation.

This is important and relevant to the electric industry for 2 primary reasons:

One, our industry has become complex and even for professionals who are following regional market developments, it is often at times challenging to keep up with what is happening with other markets in the US. Now, can you imagine how individuals and groups who have not followed the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) before or for that matter any Regional Transmission Organization before, feel? Hence this FERC Office of Public Participation is a step in the right direction to provide a forum for those groups and individuals. Their input is essential in shaping energy policy in this country. And other parts of the world as well.

Second, in general organizations with budgets can follow what is FERC doing on a day-to-day basis. But others may not have the same level of resources to participate. however, their input is essential for considering energy policies. Hence the question becomes - how to compensate for this participation? That is the fundamental question to drive more stakeholder intervention at FERC from consumer advocates, groups and individuals who wish to intervene at FERC dockets. 

For these 2 primary reasons, energy stakeholders should follow and participate in shaping the new Office of Public Participation at FERC.

Finally, Solar PV, Energy storage, Energy Efficiency, Demand Response, Advanced inverter system capabilities , Microgrids (and microgrid controller capabilities) , Electric Vehicles (including V2G) , and Combined Heat and Power (CHP) - are all going to have an impact on the bulk electric system, which is under FERC jurisdiction. However, customer adoption is driving the increased penetration of these distributed energy resources. That is why this office is so essential to voice customer opinions.