The rise of the solar photovoltaic "prosumers" has the potential to transform the 100-year-old centralized electric utility model into a more decentralized and interactive system. In some countries, it is now more cost-effective for households to produce their own power from PV than to purchase electricity from the grid. However, a prosumer "revolution" under which decentralized adoption of PV occurs on its own, in the absence of supportive policies or regulatory conditions, has not yet arrived. Self-consumption of solar PV is a growing trend globally, but its expansion remains within policy makers’ ability to control and develop.

This new IEA-RETD report provides a comprehensive overview of prosumer related aspects by analyzing the influence of economical, behavioral, and technological drivers, as well as national conditions for prosumer growth. It provides policy makers with detailed analysis on the potential benefits, costs, and risks in order to articulate the justification for prosumer-related policies. Finally, it discusses the different forms that PV prosumer policy strategies can take based on the evaluation of drivers and national objectives.

http://emp.lbl.gov/publications/residential-prosumers-drivers-and-policy-options-re-prosumers