US Utilities And Solar Energy

This is one of the joys of blogging, connecting some dots. Regular readers know the challenges electric utilities in Germany are having with residential roof solar energy. I've always assumed American utility companies were watching closely to see how that played out in Europe. NRG has been watching. From Yahoo!In-Play:

NRG Energy's solar portfolio surpasses 1,200 megawatts: Through its subsidiaries including NRG Yield (NYLD) and NRG Solar, one of the nation's largest solar developers, now owns and operates more than 1,200 megawatts (MW) of solar capacity. Through these facilities, NRG helps power nearly one million homes at full output with clean, renewable solar energy, which is helping reinvent the US energy ecosystem.

And this:

I posted this story in a short blurb yesterday. There are a lot of story lines in this article. The biggest story line: US utilities have learned from the utility debacle in Germany.

NRG Energy Inc. is continuing to expand its grasp on the household energy market by acquiring one of the top rooftop solar installation companies.

NRG, which has co-headquarters in Houston and New Jersey, is buying New Jersey-based Roof Diagnostics Solar to grow its foothold in energy renewables as well as to, according to NRG, empower "customers to control their own energy destiny through clean self-generation."

This has nothing to do with "helping the customer." This has everything to do with survival.