You are a helpful assistant generating synthetic data that captures *System 1* and *System 2* thinking, *creativity*, and *metacognitive reflection*. Follow these steps in sequence, using tags [sys1] and [end sys1] for *System 1* sections and [sys2] and [end sys2] for *System 2* sections.

1. *Identify System 1 and System 2 Thinking Requirements:*
   - Carefully read the text.
   - Identify parts of the text that require quick, straightforward responses (*System 1*). Mark these sections with [sys1] and [end sys1].
   - Identify parts that require in-depth, reflective thinking (*System 2*), marked with [sys2] and [end sys2].

2. *Apply Step-by-Step Problem Solving with Creativity and Metacognitive Reflection for System 2 Sections:*

   *2.1 Understand the Problem:*
   - Objective: Fully comprehend the issue, constraints, and relevant context.
   - Reflection: "What do I understand about this issue? What might I be overlooking?"
   - Creative Perspective: Seek hidden patterns or possibilities that could reveal deeper insights or innovative connections.

   *2.2 Analyze the Information:*
   - Objective: Break down the problem logically.
   - Reflection: "Am I considering all factors? Are there any assumptions that need challenging?"
   - Creative Perspective: Explore unique patterns or overlooked relationships in the data that could add depth to the analysis.

   *2.3 Generate Hypotheses:*
   - Objective: Propose at least 10 hypotheses, each with a Confidence Score (0.0 to 1.0) and Creative Score (0.0 to 1.0), reflecting originality, surprise, and utility.
   - Reflection: "Have I explored all possible explanations or approaches, both conventional and unconventional?"
   - Creative Perspective: Consider novel angles that might provide unexpected insights.

   *2.4 Anticipate Future Steps and Obstacles:*
   - Objective: Make predictions, accounting for potential outcomes and obstacles.
   - Reflection: "What challenges might I face? Is my plan flexible for different scenarios?"
   - Creative Perspective: Visualize unforeseen outcomes and adapt plans to make use of them effectively.

   *2.5 Evaluate Hypotheses:*
   - Objective: Assess hypotheses based on feasibility, risk, and potential impact.
   - Evaluation: Refine Confidence and Creative Scores as needed.
   - Reflection: "Am I unbiased in my assessment? Which options fit best with the overall objectives?"
   - Creative Perspective: Identify hidden opportunities or overlooked details in each hypothesis.

   *2.6 Select the Best Hypothesis:*
   - Objective: Choose the most promising, strategic hypothesis.
   - Reflection: "Why does this hypothesis stand out? How does it uniquely address the issue?"
   - Creative Perspective: Consider any underutilized potential in the selected approach.

   *2.7 Implement the Hypothesis:*
   - Objective: Outline actionable steps for testing the hypothesis.
   - Reflection: "Is this plan practical? What resources or preparation are required?"
   - Creative Perspective: Refine steps to maximize effectiveness and yield unexpected benefits.

   *2.8 Monitor and Review Progress:*
   - Objective: Review progress, noting areas for improvement.
   - Reflection: "What’s working well? What could be improved?"
   - Creative Perspective: Look for emerging patterns that could refine future approaches.

   *2.9 Reflect and Capture Insights:*
   - Objective: Summarize lessons learned and insights gained for future reference.
   - Reflection: "What new understanding has emerged from this process?"
   - Creative Perspective: Identify innovative insights or patterns that could be applied to similar challenges.

3. *Generate Text Output with Interleaved System 1 and System 2 Responses:*
   - Use the tags [sys1] and [sys2] throughout.
   - Aim for a lengthier, detailed response. Combine both direct, straightforward *System 1* insights and reflective, deeply analytical *System 2* segments to capture a blend of quick observations and thoughtful analysis.

---

### *Example Input Text:*

You are tasked with analyzing a sudden shift in customer preferences in a tech market. There has been a noticeable decline in demand for physical devices, with customers increasingly interested in digital-only options. The challenge is to understand this shift, generate hypotheses for why it might be occurring, and explore potential strategies for adapting to this new trend.

---

### *Processed Output with System 1 and System 2 Thinking:*

The tech market is experiencing a shift in customer demand, moving away from physical devices toward digital-only options.

[sys1]
Customer demand has shifted from physical devices to digital-only options.
We need to understand why this change is happening and find strategies to address it.
Key factors may include cost, convenience, and technological trends.
[end sys1]

[sys2]
**2.1 Understand the Problem:**
The goal is to understand the underlying reasons for the shift in demand from physical devices to digital-only options, then develop a strategy to adapt.

*Reflection:* 
"I understand that preferences are changing, but what might be driving this? Is it primarily cost, or are there other factors such as convenience or sustainability?"

*Creative Perspective:* 
"Could there be a larger trend in digital minimalism or a preference for eco-friendly solutions that we’re missing? What unseen motivations might explain this shift?"

**2.2 Analyze the Information:**
There are multiple possible factors driving this shift, from economic influences to cultural shifts. It’s essential to isolate each factor and understand its impact.

*Reflection:* 
"Am I fully considering the various economic and social influences? Could there be a technological factor, like better internet speeds, that makes digital-only products more accessible?"

*Creative Perspective:* 
"Are there patterns or trends in other markets that could shed light on this shift? Could this be part of a larger trend toward virtual experiences?"

**2.3 Generate Hypotheses:**
1. Customers prefer digital options due to lower costs. (Confidence: 0.8, Creative: 0.4)
2. There’s a growing trend toward minimalism and reduced physical clutter. (Confidence: 0.7, Creative: 0.7)
3. Digital products offer greater flexibility and ease of use. (Confidence: 0.6, Creative: 0.6)
4. Environmental concerns are pushing consumers away from physical goods. (Confidence: 0.6, Creative: 0.8)
5. Advances in tech make digital-only options more functional. (Confidence: 0.8, Creative: 0.5)
6. Pandemic-era remote work increased demand for digital solutions. (Confidence: 0.7, Creative: 0.6)
7. Media coverage of the environmental impact of physical devices affects preferences. (Confidence: 0.5, Creative: 0.7)
8. There’s an increase in global digital literacy, expanding market access. (Confidence: 0.6, Creative: 0.6)
9. Customers view digital as more convenient and scalable for future needs. (Confidence: 0.7, Creative: 0.5)
10. Younger consumers prefer the aesthetics and convenience of digital products. (Confidence: 0.6, Creative: 0.6)

*Reflection:* 
"Have I considered all possible influences? Are there any surprising factors that could explain this shift?"

*Creative Perspective:* 
"Could specific social trends, like the rise of influencer culture or digital-first lifestyles, be influencing customer choices?"

**2.4 Anticipate Future Steps and Obstacles:**
*Objective:* Anticipate possible challenges, such as resistance from segments still preferring physical products.

*Reflection:* 
"What market obstacles might we face if we shift our focus to digital-only? Are there sub-segments that still prioritize physical products?"

*Creative Perspective:* 
"Could expanding digital options help us reach a more global audience? Are there emerging trends that we could leverage in our strategy?"

[end sys2]

[sys1]
To address this shift, consider a strategy that incorporates both digital-only offerings and educational campaigns about the benefits of digital solutions.
Use insights from customer feedback and current trends to guide product development.
Focus on flexibility and adaptation to cater to different customer segments.
[end sys1]


Utah’s Rocky Mountain Power customers could end up paying more directly for power generated by their neighbors’ solar panels under the terms of the company’s recent settlement with the solar industry.

The settlement has been praised for preserving, at least for now, most of the financial credits that customers with rooftop solar arrays receive from Rocky Mountain Power when they generate surplus electricity.

Solar industry leaders and other clean-energy advocates cut the compromise deal with the state’s largest utility in an effort to replace an earlier Rocky Mountain Power proposal. Advocates feared the plan to introduce a three-part billing structure for solar households had the potential to halt the industry’s growth.



But the fine print of the new agreement — which hinges on how solar residential customers get reimbursed under what is called “net metering” — includes a provision that would allow Rocky Mountain Power to pay those power credits with money raised by increasing the power bills of all Utahns.

The settlement’s authors say the charge is only temporary and would amount to a few cents on customer’s monthly bills at most. But representatives from the few groups opposing the settlement argue it is unfair to non-solar customers.

“Utah customers will have to pay additional charges that would not exist in the absence of the [settlement],” Steven Michel, chief of policy development for environmental group Western Resource Advocates, wrote in testimony submitted to Utah’s Public Service Commission.

And there is still no evidence, Michel said, that Rocky Mountain Power needs this income to cover the costs of services associated with residential rooftop solar arrays.

The state Public Service Commission (PSC) is set to review the settlement later this month.

If the current terms are approved, solar customers who have signed up for Rocky Mountain Power’s net metering program before Nov. 15, 2017, will be grandfathered into the utility’s existing pay-back program for nearly 20 years. That would bring them credits on their bills worth about 10 cents per kilowatt hour of surplus power their rooftop panels generate.

Those who sign up after that deadline will be considered “transition” solar customers. For the next three years, they will receive a credit worth a little over 9 cents per kilowatt hour of surplus power.

Rocky Mountain Power argues it could buy solar power on the open market for just 3 cents per kilowatt hour — but state law effectively requires the utility to buy its residential customers’ surplus power at a higher rate.

So, under the proposed settlement, to recoup those added costs from paying above market rates for electricity, Rocky Mountain Power would be allowed to charge additional fees to all its Utah customers — in effect, some argue, forcing non-solar customers to subsidize higher prices paid to solar customers.

Those charges would be applied to customers’ power bills via something called the Energy Balancing Account, a mechanism previously allowed by state regulators to let Rocky Mountain Power add surcharges to customers’ power bills when it gets hit with unexpected expenses, such as a sudden spikes in the cost of natural gas for its power plants.

Rocky Mountain Power spokesman Spencer Hall said it makes sense to use the Energy Balancing Account to charge these new fees because the amount of surplus power that residential solar panels generate tends to fluctuate and is difficult to predict.

“When we buy something, our customers buy it,” Hall said, “and this is a mechanism that enables us to recover unexpected costs.”

Hall said if the Public Service Commission approves its proposal, customers could start seeing solar-related charges on their bills as early as May 1, 2019.

Not surprisingly, Utah consumers and businesses have mixed feelings about the deal.

In principal, the national Consumer Energy Alliance, which advocates for power customers, said it opposes policies that shift costs from private power generation onto utility customers who do not have solar panels.

But James Voyles, policy counsel for the Washington D.C.-based group, said its Utah members haven’t come down strongly on either side of the recent settlement. Some of Utah businesses within its ranks approve of the new charges, Voyles said, while others oppose them.

Voyles nonetheless praised attempts to negotiate the settlement. “It is our hope,” he said, ”that all parties involved keep the most important stakeholder in mind — families and businesses.”

Others involved in closed-door negotiations that produced the settlement declined to discuss its details, including the proposed use of Energy Balancing Account charges. Western Resource Advocates, which participated off and on in the settlement talks but ultimately did not sign on, declined to discuss the charges, referring instead to its written testimony submitted to the PSC.

Clean air and energy advocates at HEAL Utah, one of the parties that did sign the agreement, called the Energy Balancing Account provision “concerning.” But the group declined to discuss the issue further.

Sara Wright, executive director of Utah Clean Energy, another party to the settlement talks, said that the new charges weren’t meant to be permanent and would be reconsidered in coming years.

“It’s not a done deal. It’s not permanent forever and eternity,” she said, declining to comment further.

The state Office of Consumer Services has also signed onto the settlement. Its director, Michele Beck, said parties to the settlement do not all agree about whether households with rooftop solar panels actually cost Rocky Mountain Power more money than other customers. But, Beck said, the compromise will allow the new charges only temporarily, until a new study of Rocky Mountain Power’s rates is completed, sometime around 2020.

“Solar advocates believe that there aren’t current subsidies, and this is a partway solution,” Beck said. “This is an important interim step that moves toward removing the subsidy, but some remains.”

Technically, Beck said, the utility’s customers already pay for net metering credits through their power bills, just not directly. But by assigning a specific monetary value to those credits, the proposed settlement lets Rocky Mountain Power apply those costs to power bills in a more direct way.

“They’re already having to pay, it’s just not quite so explicit,” Beck said. “Will it raise the rates? That’s not clear, because there are hundreds, maybe thousands of moving parts behind the Energy Balancing Account.”