As we engage utilities on their progress and insights deploying data analytics platforms and use cases, we’re noticing a common theme. When embarking on more complex operational technology (OT) use cases, they are finding gaps in historical records that require them to revisit or rethink their data acquisition, storage, and retrieval strategies.…
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With baby boomers retiring in record numbers and millennials projected to comprise nearly 75% of the workforce by 2025, utilities are faced with the challenge of recruiting and training the next generation of leaders. In early May, members of the Greater NY Chapter of the Women’s Energy Network and the NY Chapter of Young Professionals in Energy gathered at West Monroe’s New York City office...
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Join the discussion at AWWA ACE19: West Monroe and California American water explore the landscape of AMI network design As utilities continue to explore and deploy AMI, there is mounting pressure to use existing telecommunications networks, preventing redundant networks from being constructed across the same geography. Water utilities today have a myriad of options – privately owned, shared...
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The price that you pay for electricity may be very different from what your neighbor may pay, or the small shop down the street, the farmer upstate, or the large Industrial plant miles away. Utility rates have many components, including the type of customer you are (residential, commercial agriculture, etc.), amount of energy used, income level, location, and many other factors.…
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“Perseverance: Be Energized. Be Bold. Be You!” As a longtime member and supporter of the Women’s Energy Network (WEN), three representatives from our Energy & Utilities practice attended the WEN 2019 National Conference. The theme of the conference focused on how women can use their perseverance, energy, boldness, and unique aspects to shape the future of an industry on the...
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In 2014, Governor Andrew Cuomo launched New York’s signature energy policy, Reforming the Energy Vision (REV). One of the goals of REV is to commit the state to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40%. While this goal is central to the policy’s purpose of creating a dynamic, clean energy economy, it is also not entirely aligned with the construction of new gas pipelines in the area.…
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In 2015, we took an in-depth look at how utilities, consumers, and regulators viewed distributed energy resources (DERs) and the impact they can be expected to have on the grid, and utility operations. We recently returned to the market with some additional research questions to compare results from the previous study effort and to gain new insights.…
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On April 6, 2019, the Global Positioning System (GPS) will undergo a Week Number rollover event; the week number indicator digit that GPS uses for tracking dates is reaching its maximum value and has to rollover back to 0, just like the odometer in a car. The first time that this happened was 1999.…
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Each year on March 22 the United Nations recognizes World Water Day, and each year we are reminded of the importance of water in our daily lives, its scarcity across the world, and the impact we can have on our most precious resource. World Water Day is centered on Goal 6 of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals which seeks to “ensure access to water and sanitation for all” by 2030. …
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Teaming Up with the Department of Energy and Argonne National Laboratory at the CyberForce Competition™ The US Department of Energy (DOE) hosted their CyberForce Competition™ in late 2018 within their network of National Laboratories across the United States. The competition was created with the goal of addressing the cybersecurity skill gap in the marketplace today.…
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Yesterday’s ratepayers are today’s power consumers – a reality that has plenty of utility execs reaching for the antacid. Ratepayers were mostly passive purchasers of electricity. Consumers have a long list of demands that includes energy efficiency, electric vehicle charging, renewable energy, and dynamic pricing. Some of them are even becoming mini-utilities themselves, mounting solar arrays...
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Key Learnings from the EUCI Conference: Optimizing the Interconnection Process for Renewables & Storage Over the summer, West Monroe co-sponsored EUCI’s Distributed Energy Resources (DER) Interconnection conference in Philadelphia. Multiple leaders of the DER interconnection process at major utilities, including PECO, Ameren, and BGE, presented their experiences managing a process with...
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