Don't Get Netflixed
The tide is turning. Are we planning for it – or hoping to stop it?
The central station system is the most cost-effective way to provide utility service, but that's beside the point. Customers don't care about 'utility service.'
Distributed Generation & Microgrids
The Innovator's Dilemma
Assessing the risks and rewards of distributed energy strategies.
To embrace change or fight it? The choice to either act or wait and see is fraught with complexity.
Modernization Foundation
Near-term vision for advanced distribution management.
Recent superstorms and other major events have raised the bar for utility reliability and grid planning. By bringing together various advanced systems in an integrated distribution management platform, utilities can make power systems more resilient – and provide better service for customers.
Embracing Disruption
Developing a leadership role for utilities in alternative technologies.
Faced with aging assets, rising operating costs, growing regulatory risks, and flat demand growth, utilities are challenged to remain competitive in an evolving energy market. The answer might be for utilities to establish a leadership position and pursue a more flexible mission.
Beyond the Meter
Protecting your base – while keeping options open.
The coming years will bring policy wrangling over distributed resources – what’s economic and what’s not.
Utility 2.0 and the Dynamic Microgrid
Superstorm disruption calls for a new utility architecture.
When microgrids are optimized in a smart grid, they’ll usher in a new era of utility resilience and flexibility. Get ready for dynamic microgrids.
Productivity Plateau
A mature industry faces a worrying round of hype.
Are we languishing, or working off a 20th-century legacy? Gartner’s hype cycle suggests the latter, as new technologies start producing value.
Taming Distributed Energy
How advanced distribution management systems are key to integrating distributed resources.
Fast growing distributed resources create technical challenges for utilities. Advanced DMS technology promises to help keep local grids balanced.
Disruption on Wall Street
Financial executives contemplate the rise of distributed resources.
In a January 2013 report, EEI said fast-growing distributed energy could undermine the utility business model. Wall Street is paying attention.
Valuing Distributed Storage
A complex business case calls for sophisticated modeling.
Flexible energy storage systems are costly, but a unique set of benefits makes them attractive. Realistic valuation supports a storage business case.