In the last few years, the world has seen the energy & utilities business accelerate into a significant period of transformation as a result of the smart grid and related technologies. Today, with some early proponents leading the way, the industry is on the verge of a step-change improvement that some might even classify as a full-scale revolution.

Around the world, utilities are under pressure. Citizens demand energy and water that don't undermine environmental quality. Regulators seek action on smart grids and smart metering initiatives that add intelligence to infrastructure. Customers seek choice and convenience - but without additional costs.

Around the globe, utilities are re-examining every aspect of their business.

Effective management of the future utility will require focus on desired business outcomes in a customer-empowered world of rapidly changing technology.

With the new administration talking about a trillion dollars of infrastructure investment, the time for the intelligent utility of the future is now. Political pressure and climate change are going to drive massive investments in renewable and clean energy and smart grid technology. These investments will empower customers through the launch and adoption of demand response and energy efficiency programs.

Utilities are facing a host of challenges ranging from environmental concerns, aging infrastructure and systems, to Smart Grid technology and related program decisions. The future utility will be required to find effective solutions to these challenges, while continuing to meet the increasing expectations of newly empowered consumers. Cost management in addressing these challenges is important, but delivery of value is what truly balances efficiency with customer satisfaction.

Several techniques can help utilities better understand how networks will operate in various smart grid scenarios to maximize real-time performance.

In the past, distribution demand reduction was a technique used only in emergency situations a few times a year - if that. It was an all-or-nothing capability that you turned on, and hoped for the best until the emergency was over. Few utilities could measure the effectiveness, let alone the potential of any solutions that were devised.

Utilities that want to transform raw data into actionable business insight must understand the importance of integration in implementing analytics.

If you define a machine as a series of interconnected parts serving a unified purpose, the electric power grid is arguably the world's largest machine. The next-generation version of the electric power grid - called the intelligent utility network (IUN), the smart grid or the intelligent grid, depending on your nationality or information source - provides utilities with enhanced transparency into grid operations.

Utilities must prepare for the future by creating a detailed road map for accommodating the demands of a savvier customer base.

Historically, utility customers have had limited interactions with their electric or gas utilities, except to start or stop service, report outages, and pay bills or resolve billing questions. This situation is changing as the result of factors that include rising energy prices, increasing concerns about the environment and trends toward more customer interaction and control among other service providers - such as cell phone companies. Over the next five to 10 years, we expect utility customers to continue seeking improvements in three key areas:

An Oracle Utilities white paper.

Should utilities replace current consumption meters with "smart metering" systems that provide more information to both utilities and customers? Increasingly, the answer is yes. Today, utilities and customers are beginning to see the advantages of metering systems that provide:

How the development of an advanced metering infrastructure in Ontario will help meet the government’s goals for expanding the province’s electricity supply.

Electricity supply challenges in Ontario, Canada, have led the provincial government there to take aggressive action on both the supply and demand sides to meet customer electricity needs. Between now and 2025, it's estimated that Ontario must build an almost entirely new electricity system - including replacing approximately 80 percent of current generating facilities (as they're retired over time) and expanding the system to meet future growth. However, just as building new supply is vital, so too is conservation.

The utilities industry worldwide is experiencing growing energy demand in a world with shifting fuel availability, increasing costs, a shrinking workforce and mounting global environmental pressures. Rate case filings and government regulations, especially those regarding environmental health and safety, require utilities to streamline reporting and operate safely enterprise-wide. At the same time, increasing competition and costs drive the need for service reliability and better customer service. Each issue causes utilities to depend more and more on information technology (IT).