Robert W. Galvin and Kurt Yeager of the Galvin Electricity Initiative
released a letter calling on leaders in the electricity industry to “embrace a 21st Century business model that refutes the status quo and makes customers' needs the top priority.”
A change of this magnitude “cannot be driven by one individual, one company or with one interest in mind, but instead must be propelled forward with the force of many," said Galvin, founder of the Initiative and retired CEO and chairman of Motorola (News 
- Alert).
Yeager claimed the fundamental business paradigm in the U.S. is consumer-centric and driven by entrepreneurial innovation: “This has enabled our nation's economic and technological world leadership.”
The letter appeals to heads of the Edison Electric Institute, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and the American Public Power Association for leadership in consumer-focused innovation and the adoption of an electricity consumer bill of rights.
Galvin said the Galvin Electricity Initiative is “asking the presidents and CEOs of the electricity trade associations for their commitment in developing an electricity consumer bill of rights.” The letter points to what Galvin says happened in the telecommunications industry when the focus shifted to consumers -- “an explosion of technology and investment that put more money in the pockets of companies and customers alike.”
The establishment of these rights and the full engagement of electricity consumers “are necessary if we are to truly modernize the nation's aging and unreliable electricity grid," Galvin claimed.
In his book "America's Founding Secret," Galvin wrote that a group of leaders must step outside the crowd and advocate for what is right.
This summer, TMC’s (News - Alert) Shamila Janakiraman reported that Yeager recommends that existing technologies can be implemented to modernize the grid to ensure reliable supply of power irrespective of demand, temperatures or weather conditions.
Galvin Electricity Initiative and Yeager say that distributed generation in the form of smart microgrids will be the best alternative to quickly and effectively meet energy goals of the administration and also safeguard power sources. It will also enable delivery of clean alternative forms of energy to consumers in the U.S. besides providing reliable and quality power.
David Sims is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of David’s articles, please visit his columnist page. He also blogs for TMCnet here.Edited by
Jaclyn Allard
