Almost everyone admits it: utilities are eventually going to be in for some serious trouble if they don't start thinking about how to properly manage the coming surge in distributed energy. But we can't entirely blame the utilities for moving slowly; regulators play a key role in setting the rules for how power companies operate.

In this week's show, we'll look at a comprehensive new report aimed at these decision makers, called America's Power Plan, which lays the foundation for the future of electricity. Will it be an effective roadmap for regulators?

We'll also discuss a few tremendous improvements in renewable energy economics, as well as the coming surge in Home Energy Management tools that are making houses into virtual power plants.

Listen here:

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The Energy Gang is produced by Greentechmedia.com. The show features weekly discussion between energy futurist Jigar Shah, energy policy expert Katherine Hamilton and Greentech Media Editor Stephen Lacey.