Many utilities still operate their back office information technology (IT) in separate “silos” that are poorly integrated. Now the electric power industry is turning its attention to creating the same kind of “enterprise class” systems that have been popular in other industries for the past two decades. The Smart Grid build out will require many utilities to invest heavily in modernizing their back office operations – and as you’ll learn in this section, some familiar names from the computing industry are offering high-power technologies custom-tailored for them.
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As utilities prepare for smart meter roll outs, the CEO of UK-based Sentec suggests a key consideration for the IT infrastructure associated with those roll outs should be the capability to both store data and relay it back to the consumer in an easily digestible format. Click for Mark England's perspective on how to go about that.
These are slides Cisco presented to analysts when the company announced its GridBlocks reference architecture, the focus of which is to provide utilities a single communications platform for all their smart grid needs.
Two recent wins for General Electric's Grid IQ offering signal not just where GE is headed. They also suggest two important trends for 2012. First, the move to "cloud-based" hosted services is under way in earnest. Second, many of the sector's biggest players are targeting coops and municipals for their next round of deals. Click for more on these trends and a look at how they are playing out at munis in Georgia and Florida.
More and more smart grid services are being offered via cloud computing. Under this scenario, the software and data resides on giant, central servers somewhere else. The utility simply taps into the software via the Internet. It's a controversial idea to our conservative utility industry, which is used to owning and controlling everything. Is it inevitable? Is it a mistake? Or is there a solution somewhere in between? The experts and insiders are discussing it right now in the Smart Grid News discussion forum. Click to read what they are saying and to (optionally) join in.
Glendale Water & Power already has one of the highest-ranked smart grids in the country. So what's next? The California utility is integrating all functions of its electric and water services. Click inside to learn about steps GWP is taking to enhance customer service, efficiency and reliability.
Andres Carvallo and John Cooper are the authors of "The Advanced Smart Grid," the best book yet about technical and organizational strategies for the smart grid. In an earlier article, they explained the need for an integrated communications network. They've stopped by again with another adaptation from their book, this time explaining why and how to reinvent the utility control center and make it part of an integrated optimization engine.
The expansion of distribution management systems (DMS) in the utility sector is forcing utilities to integrate data and operations between departments, a move that SGN Chief Analyst Jesse Berst suggests is long overdue. Click inside to learn why DMS is becoming such a linchpin for utilities and get advice from an expert on how to head down the DMS path cautiously.
What if you could get all the benefits of advanced metering without buying a single meter or hiring a single person? That's the proposition put forth by SAIC's "Smart Grid as a Service." Click inside for details on managed services and what SGN Chief Analyst Jesse Berst says they could mean for municipals and cooperatives.
As utilities scramble to put their information and operations systems in synch with deployment of smart meters, DA devices and other smart grid technologies, enterprise IT spending is going to accelerate, says a new report from GTM Research. And vendors know it.
If you agree that the shortage of technical talent is the number one gating factor in the build-out of the smart grid, you'll want to read what a former VP at Trilliant is trying to do about it in - of all places - Buenos Aires. It's an interesting venture, with implications for utilities everywhere. SGN Analyst Jesse Berst explains why inside.
It works for many industries with message volumes that greatly exceed those of electric power, but there is a fear that if utilities switch to service-oriented architecture (SOA) it could come crashing down during outages. What do you think? Should SOA be pronounced DOA for electric utilities? That's the Tuesday Topic over in our discussion forum.
Smart meters are ushering in a whole new level of data analytics at utilities around the world. TMCnet contributor Cheryl Kaften takes a look at some of the emerging trends.
Are there right ways and wrong ways to foster a security-conscious climate throughout an organization? Our smart grid security ace Andy Bochman has been listening to utility cybersecurity pros telling tales about what's worked – and not – for them. And he's reached a conclusion that could work for your utility. Details inside.
Intergraph has packed more punch into its InService 8.3.1 product which improves real-time data integration in a consolidated command-and-control environment for better management of field crews, outages and operations of utilities' dispersed electrical distribution infrastructure. Read more about the development and additional features inside.
Enterprise architects may not be sought-after conversationalists on the cocktail party circuit, but GTM Research senior analyst Chet Geschickter says enterprise architecture pops to the top of the list of key smart enterprise enablers. Why? It's all about composite applications. Learn more in this compelling first installment of Chet's three-part series for Smart Grid News.
This is the first segment from our July 19, 2011 webinar on best practices for merging information technology and operational technology presented with Accenture as part of SGN's Lessons from the Real World webinar series. In it moderator Jesse Berst introduces the panelists and provides a brief overview. He is followed by Wade Malcolm, Accenture's Senior Director of Smart Grid Operational Technology, who discusses why electric utilities need to blend IT and OT.
In this second segment from our July 19, 2011 webinar on best practices for merging information technology and operational technology, Wade Malcolm, Accenture's Senior Director of Smart Grid Operational Technology, cites some of the difficulties companies have discovered while trying to blend IT and OT – and some of the pitfalls to avoid.
In this third segment from our July 19, 2011 webinar on best practices for merging information technology and operational technology, Mark Wyatt, Vice President of Grid and Smart Energy Systems at Duke Energy, discusses steps his utility has taken to in the ongoing process of merging IT and OT. He also highlights best practices they utilize, as well as the impact NERC CIP has on the process.
In this fourth and final segment from our July 19, 2011 webinar on best practices for merging information technology and operational technology, our expert panelists answer audience questions regarding the importance of IEC Spec 61-970 and 61-968, integrating AMI and DMS and personnel skills needed for this process.
While sustainability is a large ecologically clean tech term, it applies to managing energy efficiently. As Carl Ford writes in TMCnet, CSRware’s SaaS solution is an evaluation tool that allows companies to look at their energy costs in a module separate to their supply chain. Click for details.
Video replays and presentation materials from our recent webinar on best practices for merging IT and OT, which featured experts from Duke Energy and Accenture, are now posted. Click inside for links.
This document includes the presentation materials used in the Smart Grid News webinar on merging IT and OT presented July 19, 2011 with Accenture. Featured panelists were Wade Malcolm, Accenture's Senior Director of Smart Grid Operational Technology, and Mark Wyatt, Vice President of Grid and Smart Energy Systems at Duke Energy. Jesse Berst moderated.
As utilities move to integrate information technology and operational technology, they are finding the journey is not so easy. Data privacy and security hurdles. Impacts to legacy systems. New skill sets to teach ... the list goes on. Jesse Berst has been talking with experts from Duke and Accenture about these challenges; we think you'll be interested in what he's learned.
When network providers switch to new technology, the changeover can decimate the meter-to-cash process. It's starting to happen in electric power as we switch to smart meters. Yet the telecommunications industry has been through this before. It's a great place to look for warnings, and for solutions. Synaptitude's Eric Nelson is here to present the four key risk areas every utility should address in advance. Click to read his tips.
One study says 37% of all IT projects fail. Another study says no, no, no, it's more like two thirds. And yet, according to expert Eric Nelson, you can greatly increase your chances for success by worrying about the four often-overlooked aspects. He shares them in this article, plus tips for finding the right consulting help (Hint: look for consultants who are technology neutral and who bring experience from both inside and outside the utility industry).
We're getting mixed signals about the vitality of the smart grid market. On the one hand, the recent DistribuTECH conference was one of the most successful ever. On the other, a well-known Wall Street analyst recently told his clients that the smart metering sector is "facing several headwinds," including weak regulatory support in the U.S. and delays in European adoption. Taking the pulse of the smart grid industry is this week's Tuesday Topic.
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