Commentary
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Jul 18, 2003 |
Given the near-term shortage of natural gas, the specter of dramatically higher prices to heat homes next winter has policy makers scrambling for answers. Natural gas prices have doubled in the past year and supplies are still 29% below where they were a year ago, and 19% below the five-year average, according to Department of Energy estimates. -
Jul 15, 2003 |
The profusion of wireless technologies and back-office integration to send and receive data across companies’ physical boundaries has been underway for several years. We now begin to consider how this data communications may change the basic way utilities conduct business. -
Jul 15, 2003 |
A 16-year-old behind the wheel of a supercharged Camaro is an accident waiting to happen. The same car with an experience and skillful driver could easily be piloted through the twists and turns of the NASCAR circuit. What’s the fundamental difference? Knowledge and responsibility. -
Jul 11, 2003 |
Throughout electric industry restructuring debates, a shout of “Reliability!” has been like yelling “Fire!” in a crowded movie theatre – scaring participants away from real problem solving and often resulting in higher consumer costs with little if any likelihood of improvement in reliability. -
Jul 10, 2003 |Electric distribution utilities frequently ask the #1question, "Can we afford to automate?" Given the potential cost, the question is certainly reasonable. But in the era of deregulation and ever- increasing regulatory pressure, the question really ought to be, "Can we afford not to?"
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Jul 09, 2003 |
Geopolitical events like war in Iraq and weather patterns like unusually cold winters can spur fears of oil shortages, and thus lead to higher gas and electricity prices. Whether the oil shortage is real or contrived is anybody’s guess. -
Jul 08, 2003 |
Trying to outguess the economy is a roller coaster ride best left to a seasoned day trader. But no matter the headlines say about the economy, if you target your opportunities, you can always find the bright side of the economy. For example, snow in the city usually keeps shoppers away from the stores. Snow in the mountains brings out the ski bunnies. But what happens when the IT industry goes flat? -
Jun 25, 2003 |
When I served on NERC’s Blue Ribbon Panel on Electric Reliability, the engineers patiently explained to me why they needed all those rules. I insisted that the engineers should consider the cost of those rules to consumers, and that they should seek more efficient means to serve the customer. One system operator said, “You want me to push the system to the point of collapse.” No, I just wanted him to try harder. -
Jun 24, 2003 |For thirty years, CIS technology ruled the marketplace. Then in one decade CRM arose, flourished, and fell. Where do we go from here?
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Jun 23, 2003 |Many equipment suppliers today are promoting their “open” systems, how their systems are designed around “standards,” and how those systems can be “seamlessly integrated” into existing infrastructure. Unfortunately, many facility managers have found that supposedly open systems don’t provide the interoperability they expect.
