Decentralized energy supply increases independence from fossil resources, reduces the carbon footprint of a society and enhances local value creation. But many of the technologies deployed are still in their infancy and depend on subsidies.

Entrepreneurs, representatives of energy incumbents and new entrants from Germany portray how they have transformed the abstract vision of a low-carbon, decentralized energy system into commercially viable business strategies. They engage in innovation and dissemination networks with municipalities and manufacturers, create new business opportunities using the information and communication layer of the smart grid, and develop an integrated value proposition beyond the narrow maximization of energy sales. Meanwhile, community empowerment stimulates the emotionalization of energy, municipalities turn into island systems and consumers into 'prosumers.'

This book provides first-hand insights of how sustainability and economy can be reconciled – and how agents of change successfully develop the blueprint of a decentralized energy future.

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