James Mazurek

A recent research report estimates the global market for smart cities will reach US$3.5 billion by the year 2026. A number of companies, from communication services and technology platform providers to device and software manufacturers, are all jockeying for a piece of this smart cities pie. Each of these players provides something cities can leverage to achieve sustainable economic growth and meet the needs of their growing populations. But they don’t offer the capabilities that utilities can… Show more

A recent research report estimates the global market for smart cities will reach US$3.5 billion by the year 2026. A number of companies, from communication services and technology platform providers to device and software manufacturers, are all jockeying for a piece of this smart cities pie. Each of these players provides something cities can leverage to achieve sustainable economic growth and meet the needs of their growing populations. But they don’t offer the capabilities that utilities can bring
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The energy landscape is shifting fast, placing new demands on grid operators. Utilities must adapt, but they are hamstrung by an outdated industry model of centralized generation and energy delivery that was intended to maximize economies of scale. Utilities have invested billions in infrastructure that has a long life, but it also has consequences that linger. Utilities will be locked into a regulatory asset base that requires consumers to pay for the infrastructure for decades to come. This… Show more

The energy landscape is shifting fast, placing new demands on grid operators. Utilities must adapt, but they are hamstrung by an outdated industry model of centralized generation and energy delivery that was intended to maximize economies of scale. Utilities have invested billions in infrastructure that has a long life, but it also has consequences that linger. Utilities will be locked into a regulatory asset base that requires consumers to pay for the infrastructure for decades to come. This will become a misallocation of public funds and could require policy makers to step in. Show less

The market for plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) is charged up and ready to roll. Growth in market penetration of PEVs is occurring across most major global markets. Utilities can gain the upper hand in the PEV arena through developing a PEV charging infrastructure with the digital customer at the core.

Utilities that have deployed smart meters are now awash in terabytes of valuable consumer data. According to Accenture estimates, in the United States, 2.8 billion data points are captured on a daily basis including energy usage, customer move-in/move-outs, payment/service history, and utility-program participation. This data can pave the way for future utility insights, but can also enable an emerging market for other companies looking to offer new energy-related products and services to… Show more

Utilities that have deployed smart meters are now awash in terabytes of valuable consumer data. According to Accenture estimates, in the United States, 2.8 billion data points are captured on a daily basis including energy usage, customer move-in/move-outs, payment/service history, and utility-program participation. This data can pave the way for future utility insights, but can also enable an emerging market for other companies looking to offer new energy-related products and services to consumers. Show less

After a century of “business as usual”, utilities are being reshaped by a confluence of market forces, including: ambitious environmental policy objectives, evolving customer needs, demand disruption from distributed and digital energy technologies, shareholder concerns regarding growth and capital spend, and new competition from third-party service providers. This paper examines policy and business model options in a fictitious "51st State" where the slate is clean.

This paper explores fundamental challenges to the legacy utility business model, and how different utilities are proactively taking steps to evolve to more of a market-based approach to utility operations rather than the “top-down style planning of the 20th century”. As these market changes are happening at different rates across the globe, it will focus on “no regrets” steps that can be taken now and suggest signposts that can be considered to inform when market shifts are occurring.

Capital management is one of the primary differentiators in the utility industry. Where and how utilities deploy capital will have a major impact on earnings, productivity, and system reliability. But because it is more difficult to assess and measure, capital management is underused in achieving differentiated performance and sustainable competitive advantage. - See more at: http://www.fortnightly.com/fortnightly/2005/09/capital-management-missing-performance-driver#sthash.zNfO5zMR.dpuf