As a partner in Bain & Company's Utilities & Alternative Energy practice, Matt Abbott has taken a deep dive into the guts of the modern day energy industry and come back with a few kernels of wisdom about what makes it tick—and what will make it both environmentally friendly and profitable in the future. 

In his work with utilities and other energy related service providers, he says there is one perennial challenge: "It's really, really hard to quantify the value of an electron." Quantifying that value is a big part of Abbott's role at Bain, all in an effort to more quickly and deftly leverage the market toward more widespread adoption of renewable energy.