Table of ContentsColumnsCyberattacks are Serious Business for UtilitiesElectric utilities for decades have understood the importance of providing reliable electricity to consumers. They've worked consistently on improving processes and technologies to lower SAIDI (system average interruption duration index) and satisfy regulators and consumers.
Nexus of Energy Efficiency and Customer ServiceUtility energy efficiency programs have increased more than 550 percent since 1999. Concurrently, utility customer service also is expanding with innovative customer service offerings that enhance customer satisfaction and improve service delivery while managing costs.
Demand Resources Demand ReflectionAs the prospect of large-scale generation retirements grows greater, so too does the willingness of many to believe that additional demand resources (DR) would best offset whatever capacity shortfall were to result from such retirements.
How Low Can Natural Gas Go? The Power Sector Might Have the AnswerNatural gas prices have reached new lows, settling in at levels seen during the 1990s. The question on everyone's mind seems to be: How low can it go? The answer depends in large part on the power sector.
Picking Energy LosersAt the fastest rate in 300 million years, oceans are acidifying as a result of carbon dioxide emissions, according to a new study by a team of researchers led by paleoceanographer Bärbel Hönisch at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.
Diverse Payment Options Still a Consumer MustBusinesses spend a lot of time considering what services will attract young adults and keep them coming back for more.
FeaturesELP Executive Conference Market Research SurveyNew technologies, environmental awareness and a weak economy have worked together to create rapid evolution on the energy landscape. January's Electric Light & Power Executive Conference provided a microcosm of the energy industry and was the ideal setting for collecting informed, executive-level opinions about the current state of the industry and trends that map where we're going.
SectionsCybersecurity Roundtable: The Enemy is UnknownIt's no secret that U.S. electric grid operators are concerned about cybersecurity. In February, The Wall Street Journal cited unnamed sources who said National Security Agency Director Keith Alexander warned during White House meetings and private sessions that the hacking group Anonymous could bring down the U.S. electric grid within a year or two.
The Changing Role of Utility CFOsIn the pre-Enron era, a power and utility industry chief financial officer (CFO) often primarily focused on increasing sales through nontraditional businesses such as trading and retail operations and unregulated nonutility ventures.
You're Going to Need a Smarter Crystal BallThe next generation of utility forecasting will revolutionize operations, boost reliability and turn smart grids into value engines
Finding and Being Green With Demand ResponseDemand response (DR) is designed to manage consumption during peak electricity demand through shedding or shifting of electrical load for short times. DR participants earn an additional revenue stream through their participation in the program. A growing number of companies in the U.S. and Canada are seeing DR success.
Automating Customer EmpowermentA central promise of a real-time, proactive and intelligent grid, or smart grid, as it is widely known, is that it will create a two-way dialogue between utilities and consumers.
Wind Power Affordability Opens New MarketsMany in the electric industry know wind energy as an important part of a diverse generation portfolio. Wind has accounted for 35 percent of all new U.S. electric generating capacity in the past five years and is one of the country's fastest-growing new sources of U.S. manufacturing jobs.
The Opt-out ChallengeConsumers have been realizing the benefits of automatic meter reading (AMR) and advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) systems for nearly two decades.
Solutions for Integrating PV Into the GridSolar power's role in the global power generation portfolio is growing year over year largely because solar generation increasingly makes economic sense.
A More Intelligent Utility Network-Not if, But WhenFrom cell phones to fast Internet service, to computers and mobile devices, to Facebook and Twitter, we live, work and socialize in a web of networks. The electric grid-arguably the original network on which modern societies are built-often is taken for granted.
Utility Customer Relations - Lessons From the UKThe U.K. utility market is suffering from a lack of competition. Outdated billing practices, old technology and inefficient customer service are just some of the issues affecting U.K. consumers as they struggle to keep control of their energy bills.
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