Smart Grid and AMI – Change Management within the Utility

Successful implementation of a Smart Grid and AMI certainly depends on the proper integration of new technologies with existing electric system infrastructure, but it also depends on the human dynamics that are essential to effective change management. Awareness is a Critical Component AMI-Smart Meter Electric utilities should survey their employees understand their assumptions, knowledge,...

Smart Grid and AMI – Leading to Smart Appliances

As advanced metering installations are developing throughout the U.S., industry attention is now shifting to understanding and encouraging the actions and technologies necessary for customers to capture the promised benefits of Smart Grid and AMI. This customer focus will logically include the system’s ability to communicate with numerous household appliances. Like many of the challenges...

Smart Grid – A Call for Improved Security

Energy Management Panel Smart Grid includes a proliferation of intelligent devices across the entire energy delivery system, thereby establishing a communication link between these devices and developing a means to collect, convert, and analyze a myriad of system data. Measures to Improve Electric System Security In accomplishing this proliferation of intelligent devices, electric utilities are...

Energy Conservation and the Role of the Consumer

Begins and ends with active consumer participation With all the attention being paid to technology and its role in energy conservation, the critical factor driving success in meeting energy conservation goals is shaping consumer behavior. The most sophisticated technology, aggressive advertising campaign and even eye-catching commercial incentives will produce anemic results, unless the combined...

Smart Grid Technology’s Impact on Vegetation Management

Vegetation Management-Enhanced Tree Trimming With the advent of Smart Grid technology electric utilities will no longer be dependent on customers to report outages. Smart Grid sensing devices will in many instances (particularly in the case of vegetation management) be able to anticipate an outage prior to the initiating event. With respect to vegetation management and depending on the actual...

Management of Smart Grid Data

The advent of Smart Grid has significantly expanded the role and importance of data and information management requiring: Strategies to ensure the proper collection, analysis and utilization of data and information Development of robust and flexible communication networks Being proactive in addressing any legal ramifications relating to data ownership Leveraging Smart Grid Data There are a...

Enterprise Resource Planning for Effective Deployment of Smart Grid and Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI)

Long term success in transitioning to an intelligent or smart grid includes integration of the different elements of new information technologies with a utility’s traditional transaction systems. One of the most notable and important integration point is the enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. The implications of a smart grid on the ERP system include: Moving beyond the traditional ERP...

Electricity Decoupling in the UK

The regulation of the UK electricity distribution industry operates under a system of ex-ante price controls that are, by definition, based on forecasts of expected costs and required revenue. The gas and electricity networks are regulated under an RPI-X framework. This is an incentive-based regulatory framework. Revenue allowances are fixed in advance for a fixed period (typically five years)....

Natural Gas and Electricity Decoupling in the U.S.

As of late 2009, numerous U.S. states have experimented with and fully implemented decoupling. Generally speaking, the natural gas industry is more advanced than the electricity industry, consistent with its longer history of deregulation. The following discussion highlights some of the differences and similarities across these industries and among the variety of regulatory environments with...

Utility Decoupling Approaches and Terminology

There are three generalized approaches to rate decoupling that have been followed by a number of U.S. states, commonly categorized as: Full Decoupling, Partial Decoupling, and Limited Decoupling. Regulatory frameworks in the United Kingdom (UK) are also based on a decoupling strategy. Decoupling is playing an increasing role in utility rate making to promote wider energy efficiency and...