According to Investopedia, mergers are typically undertaken to meet one of three major goals; 1) expand a company’s reach; 2) expand into new segments; or, 3) gain market share. While some of the $43.5 billion of utility deal activity in Q2’16 is undoubtedly linked to those goals, there is also a key question underlying recent deals from around the globe: how do utilities prepare for a cleaner, decentralized future?

If you believe that the answer to that question will remain a moving target for some time, it would seem likely that recent merger activity is only just the tip of the iceberg…