With roots dating back centuries, today Con Edison New York owns an aging infrastructure that struggles to handle the power surging through it. The utility has recently embarked on a major substation building effort in addition to its AMI commitment. It was also one of the early recipients of Smart Grid Recovery Act money.
Generally regarded as above average when compared to utility peers in its pace of technology adoption, Arizona's Salt River Project has been investing in technologies for over a decade - even before the term “Smart Grid” became widely used.
Exelon subsidiary PECO Energy is Pennsylvania's largest utility, serving 1.6 million electricity customers and 485,000 natural gas customers. It is under a state mandate to make smart meters available to all customers within 20 years.
In Spring 2009, Houston-based CenterPoint Energy launched a smart meter initiative to install 2.4 million meters in its sprawling service territory by 2014.
The fifth largest investor-owned utility in the U.S., Ohio-based FirstEnergy appears to be on solid ground today - yet some can't forget its checkered past.
With high customer satisfaction ratings and demonstrated commitments to Smart Grid and renewable energy initiatives, SMUD is showing other municipal utilities how to get the job done.
Xcel has garnered a reputation as one of the country’s most forward-thinking utilities thanks to its "Smart Grid City" initiative in Colorado. Yet some question the Xcel's commitment to open standards.
Atlanta-based Southern Company is one of the nation's oldest and largest electricity producers, but is focused on the future with nearly 20 renewable energy R&D projects underway.
Southern California Edison started deploying smart meters in 2001 and remains a clear leader among utilities pursuing Smart Grid technologies and solutions.
California-based Pacific Gas and Electric has what some consider the nation's most ambitious smart metering program and CEO Peter Darbee aggressively promotes the utility’s green stance.
Dallas-based Oncor operates in the highest-growth region in the United States in terms of electric demand. It is making inroads in both the Smart Grid and renewable energy.
New Orleans-based Entergy Entergy has been a leader and innovator in smart energy before it became fashionable. Its service area is particularly vulnerable to the physical risks climate change poses.
Duke Energy is one of the largest electric power companies in the United States. It's charismatic CEO James E. Rogers has been a vocal advocate for the Smart Grid, though he has not always been able to get employees and rate makers to play along. That's changing.
Well-planned and well-applied technologies go a long way to eliminating Smart Grid obstacles, and Austin Energy has made progressive use of those tools. Building a foundation around enterprise architecture has been key to the company’s success in laying the track for implementing the Smart Grid. Working under the same constraints as many other public utilities, Austin Energy has cut costs, increased customer satisfaction, attracted new high-value customers to the city of Austin, and established a foundation for a Smart Grid.
The Smart Grid takes more than technology or financing. Avista shows that innovation and situational awareness are key tools toward building a real-time digital utility.
North Carolina-based Duke Energy has been quietly turning itself into one of North America's Smart Grid leaders -- if not in the quantity of its short-term deployments, then certainly in the quality of its long-term thinking. SGN Prediction: The approach Duke is taking (to planning) and the demands it is making (to vendors) will set the tone for hundreds of utilities to follow.
Making complex technology choices is one of the most frustrating challenges a utility can face. Far too often, utilities assemble a huge mound of data, but have no scientific way to evaluate it. When Alliant Energy Corporation of Wisconsin faced such a challenge, it used the Intelligrid Technology Assessment Methodology to cut through the confusion and point a safe path toward the future. Click for more details and a free, downloadable case study.
Southern California Edison had a mandate to study advanced metering solutions. When they did, the cost far outweighed the benefits. Click to read how they went back to the drawing board and designed a cost-effective solution.
Our Spotlight series has been looking at national initiatives relevant to the Smart Grid. Previously, we’ve examined research programs and standards efforts. This month we look at real-world demonstration projects. Click to read more.
We're getting mixed signals about the vitality of the smart grid market. On the one hand, the recent DistribuTECH conference was one of the most successful ever. On the other, a well-known Wall Street analyst recently told his clients that the smart metering sector is "facing several headwinds," including weak regulatory support in the U.S. and delays in European adoption. Taking the pulse of the smart grid industry is this week's Tuesday Topic.
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