Small Is Profitable: The Hidden Economic Benefits of Making Electrical Resources the Right Size
        by Amory B. Lovins, et al

This book describes 207 ways in which the size of "electrical resources"—devices that make, save, or store electricity—affects their economic value. It finds that properly considering the economic benefits of "distributed" (decentralized) electrical resources typically raises their value by a large factor, often approximately tenfold, by improving system planning, utility construction and operation (especially of the grid), and service quality, and by avoiding societal costs.

The actual increase in value, of course, depends strongly on the case-by-case technology, site, and timing. These factors are so complex that the distribution of value increases across the universe of potential applications is unknown. However, in many if not most cases, the increase in value should change investment decisions. For example, it should normally far exceed the cost differences between, say, modern natural-gas-fired power plants and windfarms. In many applications it could even make grid-interactive photovoltaics (solar cells) cost-effective today. It should therefore change how distributed resources are marketed and used, and it reveals policy and business opportunities to make these huge benefits explicit in the marketplace.
 

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