Commentary
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Oct 22, 2009 |Social networking is no longer the next big craze, it's now as much a part of the web experience as search engines. Today's networking strategies allow you to reach out to a much broader potential business base.
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Oct 21, 2009 |
The electric industry is now embarking upon a revolution which in many respects resembles the transformation that the communications industry has undergone in recent decades. The transition from the "dumb" telephone network of the past to the intelligent Internet of today transferred greater and greater control and functionality to the edge of the network -- to customers. -
Oct 15, 2009 |
It's one thing to have an intelligent utility. It's another to have smart customers. Newer tools are permitting two-way communications between power companies and their patrons. But if the technologies are to reach their full potential, state regulators must assure fairness before eventually subjecting those users to market forces. -
Oct 09, 2009 |
Worldwide, there is still an increasing demand for electric power despite the ongoing economic recession that caused a few regions such as Ontario to go from a projected power shortfall to excess generating capacity. A range of traditional and contemporary generating technologies is being introduced to service worldwide. -
Oct 08, 2009 |
Smart grids, remote meter reading -- these are exciting times for new technology in the utility industry. But while some of these major core services are being rapidly reengineered there is one regular activity in need of improvement that is often overlooked: customer billing. Today, savvy utility companies are finding greater cost efficiencies by building stronger consumer relationships through an integrated electronic bill payment and presentment approach. -
Oct 06, 2009 |In the world of a smarter grid, all communications connections will be paved with IP. The use of that networking protocol will enable vendors to lower their product costs and will help companies manage a wider array of devices from a central console. "The benefits of using IP are so great that every equipment and software supplier is moving to it," said Raj Vaswani, chief technology officer, Silver Spring Networks.
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Oct 01, 2009 |For 25 years, I've written and lectured about the need for smart metering, often concluding by saying, "Someday, utilities will use all that data." Now, suddenly, the idea of smart metering and a smart grid have captured the interest of utilities and governments. Many other countries are replicating the North American experience.
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Sep 24, 2009 |
As the media pundits point to glimmers of hope of an economic turnaround this year, the reality remains that more people are unemployed or underemployed now than in the previous 20 years. High unemployment, restrained consumer spending, and growing bankruptcies increased utility write-offs approximately $400 million in 2008 to an estimated $2.8 billion according to PA Consulting Group's Polaris Customer Service benchmarking data. -
Sep 23, 2009 |
Long gone are the days when cyber attackers were teenagers in their basements writing viruses and sending them out across the World Wide Web for entertainment and notoriety. Today's cyber attacks are sophisticated, targeted and have insidious motives such as profit/extortion and terrorism. -
Sep 22, 2009 |
Today's smart-grid and critical infrastructure projects represent significant expense and exposure to risk and require dedicated planning. Project plans should show that utility project managers have carefully considered how the loss or compromise of any new system will affect both system operations and the security of the power system and consumers served.
