Source: NYT > Business (paywall)
As grid operators struggle with aging infrastructure and renewable energy integration, entrepreneurs like Swedish founder Jonas Birgersson are building peer-to-peer electricity networks that mirror internet architecture—enabling localized generation and trading without centralized control. Microgrids that operate independently and share power laterally (rather than through distant power plants) erode the traditional utility monopoly: they reduce baseload demand and pricing authority, forcing incumbent grid operators and distributed energy entrepreneurs into direct competition. Countries facing grid bottlenecks or renewable overcapacity are deploying these systems faster than regulatory frameworks can accommodate them.