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Many utilities cannot make Smart Grid investments until they have approval from their regulators. And even unregulated utilities must ensure that their Smart Grid outlays make financial sense. This section catalogs ideas and resources for making the all-important cost-benefit analysis.
Results: 95 results found. You are on page 1 of 7 pages.
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It took a while but microgrids have been gaining ground and getting a lot of attention lately. Joule Assets CEO Mike Gordon outlines why microgrids could be the tipping point that takes forward-thinking utilities from a traditional commodity provider role to a more service-oriented one.
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The smart grid sector has gained a new association. SmartGridiX intends to create a clearinghouse and forum for developing viable business cases for Smart Grid 2.0. Noble intentions certainly, but do we really need another association?
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Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley wants regulators in his state to allow utilities to institute a surcharge for significant grid maintenance - but only in return for stricter reliability standards. Still, not everyone in Maryland is on his side.
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Legislation passed in Illinois last year spurred a flurry of smart grid activity at ComEd and Ameren. Both plan to deploy AMI, DA and critical system upgrades. Both are developing smart grid test beds. Yet utility consultant David O'Brien sensed a 'palpable negative vibe' during a recent smart grid event in Chicago. Find out why he says cost recovery challenges could delay or entirely derail the projects.
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Smart grid investments are different than any other investments a utility makes, according to Paul Alvarez, a consultant with deep experience evaluating smart grid performance. As a result, he believes those investments require new cost recovery approaches. Click for his insightful commentary on what is perhaps the single most important issue facing our industry.
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A former chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission said the $107 billion recently cited as the amount of money that should be spent in the next several years to upgrade the country's fragile old electric grid isn't enough. But the agency's current chairman has a quite different opinion.
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Wondering how state regulators view utility business cases when the focus turns to cybersecurity? Then you won't want to miss the latest post from security ace Andy Bochman, who shares some eye-opening insights from former New Hampshire regulator Nancy Brockway.
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| This IDC Energy Insights report provides an overview of the smart water market, which is emerging as a similar and parallel market to the already established smart grid market. The threat of water scarcity or shortages and the need to manage aging infrastructure are driving water utilities to consider smart technology–based solutions.
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It's like the mother lode of smart grid research only we've done the digging for you. We've mined the latest smart grid reports and briefly highlighted seven we think you'll be interested in, everything from EPRI guidance on utility cyber security strategies to the rise of 'intelligent efficiency' and - don't miss this one - the next regulatory tussle you may not see coming.
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When making their smart grid business case, utility execs often overlook data - and that's a mistake, says the smart grid lead for tax and advisory firm KPMG. Click to see the simple three-step process Ron Clanton says can help utilities use data to drive value in a smart grid transformation.
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Analysis of more than 30 smart meter business cases by Chris King of eMeter has shown an average benefit to cost ratio of 1.9. His analysis includes good news on the policy front; click for details.
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Utility executives faced with major decisions on how to get the biggest bang for the buck from their smart grid investments now have some help in the form of a flexible, multi-faceted software package. The Smart Grid Research Consortium promises that its investment tool reaches beyond the limitations of existing utility business case software.
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We don't think the new GridWise Alliance report on the current state of the country's electric grid and the benefits of smart grid went as far as it could have in assessing obstacles to smart grid deployment and addressing other issues, but it does provide a summary of useful information. Read more inside.
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Consumer perceptions may be at odds with the smart grid value proposition as portrayed by utilities. That's according to research from the Electric Power Research Institute. Christina Haddad provides a deep dive on EPRI's findings.
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Our resident smart grid insider Jesse Berst sat down with the man responsible for producing public "report cards" for Xcel Energy's SmartGridCity and Duke Energy's smart grid Ohio project. He gleaned three important trends plus insights into the best places to find true value (the kind of value that assuages and impresses regulators). Click inside to read all about it.
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