State of Industry

Working with Third-Party Companies

How utilities can outsource essential functions or services BY ASBURY GAULT, Zenius LLC In today’s business world with ever-increasing employee benefit costs, regulated utilities are challenged with reducing their costs for the benefit of all stakeholders. This force is driving utility managers...

Texas CEO Calls for Redesign of the Grid

As Texas continues to experience rapid population growth and surging electricity demand, there is increasing pressure on the state's electrical grid to meet the needs of its residents. According to Texas energy leader, Dan Woodfin, the state's grid needs a fundamental redesign to address the...

Power Sector Reacts to Canada's New Chief

Canada has a new Prime Minister. Justin Trudeau, a second generation politician, will take the Prime Minister’s Office shortly. Of course, when any new government steps into power, uncertainty follows suit. How will the change in political power affect North America’s power sector? The...

How utilities can keep the lights on

Utilities worldwide have been on a roller-coaster ride, and an often painful one, over the past decade. Despite the sharp growth in global demand for electricity, many utilities have lost value or posted below-average returns. A McKinsey analysis of 50 major publicly listed utilities from Asia,...

How Utilities Can Master Customer Engagement

Addressing the new energy customer engagement paradox BY GREG GUTHRIDGE, NICHOLAS HANDCOCK & JULIE TARTAGLIA, Accenture For utilities, the foundation of the energy marketplace is shifting. Providers face a market in flux with largely stagnant energy demand, shifting regulatory landscapes,...

Aging Infrastructure: How to Save Aging Assets

Applying limited resources to critical, aging infrastructure BY MASSOUD AMIN, IEEE Smart Grid, University of Minnesota The Smart Grid’s contributions to improving electric utilities’ means of monitoring the condition of assets, providing enhanced situational awareness, and faster...

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