Category Archives: Utilities

Ride the Waves to Renewable Energy

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What’s that always moving, ceaselessly churning, often-overlooked source of renewable energy covering 70% of our planet? That’s right, our oceans – nature’s perpetual motion machine. New projects and innovations are in the works to take advantage of the immense power continuously unleashed on our shores around the world.

One of the most intriguing technologies in development is ocean thermal energy conversion or OTEC. OTEC utilizes temperature differences between warm surface water and cold seawater drawn from depths of more than a kilometer (where sunlight doesn’t reach) to drive turbines and generate electricity. Most useful for islands and high-energy draw naval bases, the first OTEC power plants to ever be constructed are in the planning stages in the Bahamas. Cold water not used for power generation can even be used to aid air conditioning systems, run desalination plants and allow cultivation of colder climate foodstuffs such as salmon and berries.

Numerous other wave power electrical generators are in testing phases around the world. The US Navy is testing energy-harnessing buoys at its Marine Corps base in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. The Maine Technology Institute has issued a grant to an inventor there for research on “an elongated, self-orienting, wave front parallel, semi-submerged, utility scale wave energy absorption barrier.” And in the United Kingdom – the self-proclaimed wave and tidal power technology world leader – the government has offered a 20 million pound ($32 million dollar) prize to be split by two winning designs.

While the world’s oceans are an excellent sustainable energy option, their use has not been as heavily covered or invested in as higher-profile wind and solar power generation. However, with the current green movement and heavy focus on renewable energy, utility companies should be open to all viable eco-friendly power possibilities. Making waves has never been more promising.

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Smart Grids Continue to Evolve

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Until fairly recently, most smart grid coverage has revolved around smart meter usage at home and in the workplace. While they are a major component of measuring and monitoring electric grids around the world, today’s utility companies now must look to build on the benefits smart meters impart by continuing to advance in such areas as distribution automation, demand response, distributed generation, and grid optimization.

With all of this smart grid innovation, some utilities are taking the unprecedented step to tie their profitability to their ability to execute energy saving strategies while still maintaining high-quality service. Starting in 2013, Commonwealth Edison of northern Illinois has, among other things, agreed to incrementally improve the length and duration of power outages to customers each of the next ten years. If it fails to improve in these and other areas, state regulators will be able to remove certain portions of the profit from the utility’s bottom line. This landmark legislation also paves the way for streamlined regulatory processes for ComEd should they meet their yearly goals.

The global smart grid market is currently valued at $27 billion and is projected to grow to $49 billion if patterns in emerging countries continue. Utility companies must continue to roll out and upgrade existing smart grid technologies to stay competitive, profitable, and in their customer’s good graces. The correct strategies and communications will make all the difference in today’s ever-connected world.

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New Technology Promises Cleaner Nuclear Energy

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There’s a milder, less menacing side to nuclear energy that most people don’t know about: thorium. Discovered in 1828 by a Swedish chemist – and named for Thor, the Norse god of thunder – thorium is a plentiful, slightly radioactive element that scientists think may address some of the concerns linked with more traditional nuclear power generation.

Thorium reactors seemingly solve many of the big issues associated with conventional nuclear power generation: They don’t melt down; the waste they create is not weapons grade; and it’s far less radioactive, breaking down in hundreds rather than tens of thousands of years.  These reactors can also burn current nuclear waste and old nuclear weapon stockpiles — and do so more cheaply than power plants that are fuelled by coal or natural gas.

Excitement about thorium’s prospects is growing. The Weinberg Foundation, named after a pioneering thorium researcher from the 1950s and 60s, has just been formed in the U.K. to promote thorium as a solution to many of the world’s energy problems. Cadillac has conceived a theoretical nuclear-powered car based on a scaled down thorium reactor. And China and India are both launching government energy research projects focused on implementing thorium technologies. A word of warning, though: Just please don’t try this at home!

New technologies require new strategies and cogent communications. Just as handling nuclear energy requires special care, marketing it does too.

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Public Utilities and the Use of Social Media

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IBM recently released a study outlining a daunting new problem for utility companies: lack of consumer knowledge. Thirty percent of respondents didn’t know the term “dollar per kilowatt-hour” – the standard way the retail price of electricity is measured; sixty percent knew nothing of the new smart meters and smart grid technologies being rolled out in much of the country. Even with today’s priorities of energy use reduction, energy conservation and creation of renewable energy sources, some utilities hesitate to use the new social networking tools for community outreach.

While some companies are taking full advantage of the social media revolution by using Facebook, Twitter, and/or LinkedIn, others have done so only tentatively. And yet these tools can help utilities to quickly and easily disseminate information to their customers. Posting energy savings tips, regulatory notices and press releases can both inform the public and generate goodwill towards them, something many utilities conspicuously lack.

Recent natural disasters on the East Coast – Hurricane Irene especially – have once again demonstrated the need for effective social outreach. During emergencies, transmitting critical intelligence to constituents through social networks can both lessen the number of complaints and provide a platform for service requests to be made.

It is far better for public utility companies to be ahead of the curve rather than behind it, needing to conduct damage control after public relations efforts fail.

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Effective Communication Helps to Cool Energy Customers Who Have Grown Hot Under the Collar

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As temperatures rise and air conditioning becomes a necessity, the quality and reliability of power can deteriorate. If it does, customer satisfaction suffers.

Such was the case in April when a ten-year high in total nuclear plant outages, due to spring refueling and maintenance, coincided with forced outages due to weather. Subsequently, record heat waves in 30 states pushed demand to record high levels. Because of rising coal prices, much of the slack had to be picked up by natural gas, which led to low inventory levels, especially in the east and west, where natural gas is a large portion of the energy mix.

All of this led to a decrease in power quality and reliability, the two biggest components of customer satisfaction in this industry.

The recently released J.D. Power and Associates 2011 Electric Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study shows that though customer satisfaction has suffered, the trend has been mitigated by perceptions of improved communications and corporate citizenship.

The companies at the top of the list have made effective communications a top priority.

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