Electric company
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- For information regarding the 1970s children's television show, see The Electric Company.
An electric company is a provider of electricity through installed wires to a location that requires power. Almost all homes and businesses need access to electricity. Electricity supply can be divided into four processes. These are: electricity generation, electric power transmission, electricity distribution and electricity retailing. The electric company can be involved in all or just some of these processes depending on the state of electricity market reform.
In countries where electricity provision is deregulated, end-users of electricity may opt for more costly green electricity.
All forms of electricity generation have positive and negative aspects. Society will eventually declare a winner, but in a free-market economy, the option with less overall costs generally will be chosen above other sources. It is not clear yet which form can best meet the necessary energy demands or which process can best solve the demand for electricity. There are indications that renewable energy and distributed generation are becoming more viable in economic terms.