Energy industry in Illuminatia
The energy industry in Illuminatia is based on an infrastructure that economically and organizationally separates the generation, distribution, and consumer connection elements of the energy utility sector. The separation of these three functions into the hands of separate entities virtually eliminates the potential of economic destructive arrangements such as vertically integrated monopolies, consolidation, and anticompetitive commercial practices. Electricity is the most common type of energy to be distributed and sold as a utility in Illuminatia, although it is not exclusively the only form of commercially-available energy to be generated, transmitted, and marketed here.
The three functions within the energy ecosystem may be managed by either commercial for-profit corporations, private non-profit organizations, or public entities. Much of the early energy generation and distribution infrastructure in Illuminatia was built through the efforts of public-private partnerships involving for-profit companies working alongside public agencies. As the Illuminatian population expanded and the energy sector matured, most of these partnerships were dissolved into separate commercial and non-profit entities.
Energy generation in Illuminatia is most frequently the responsibility of commercial entities that earn a profit from producing energy and selling electricity to the distribution network and in turn to customers. Energy generation is highly regulated to ensure a supply of energy remains available. Most electricity that is generated in Illuminatia is produced through renewable resources. Oversight of energy production activities that have the possibility of generating pollution and other environmental impacts are overseen by the Bureau of Natural Resources (BNR) and its subordinate agencies, such as the Office of Atmospheric Conservation (OAC) and Office of Aquatic Resources (OAR).
The distribution and transmission infrastructure over which the energy is conveyed is almost exclusively a publicly-maintained system and is managed in-common in the interests of the public at large with costs distributed among taxpayers with no commercial or profit motive. Public energy distribution infrastructure most often contiguous from the generation point to the consumer destination, although some public entities maintain the full interconnection including infrastructure located on private customer premises.
Customer interaction and interconnection management—including billing, customer service, and often also maintenance of the customer connection with the energy infrastructure—is most-often a private commercial interaction subject to competition and normal economic and retail forces, however this leg of the energy distribution system is highly-regulated in efforts to protect the consumer. No commercial entity is allowed to maintain a monopoly on energy interconnection to any given customer location or geographic region, and a publicly-operated customer interconnection provider is always an option for a given customer. As a result, a customer usually has a choice between at least two different energy connection providers, and those competing energy retailers will frequently attempt to differentiate themselves from their competition through differences in consumer-facing variables such as billing arrangements or customer service-related distinctions.
The most common energy sources include solar power, wind power, tidal and ocean current-based generation, nuclear fusion power, antimatter and elementary particle generation, and human power. These renewable resources are used in conformity with the Lucidus mission guidelines for inhabiting Illuminatia, which strongly called for the avoidance of interference with the natural environment of the Neonisi planet. These principles are contrary to those of archaeomodern Earthly civilization which played a significant part in environmental collapse and resource depletion on Earth. Energy generation in Illuminatia seeks to avoid energy generation activities that might temporarily or permanently pollute the natural environment irrespective of whether such interference with the environment might impact human life.