Eighteen months after COVID-19 forced workforce disruptions to most utilities, leaders are facing new challenges that may last even longer. The assumption was that once vaccination rates climbed there would be a return to the office and a return to normal. The pandemic would be behind us, and workers would return safely to their pre-COVID workplace.
Michelle Jordan joined ScottMadden in 2019 as an executive assistant in the Westborough office. Michelle works closely with partners Andy Flores, and Tim Lyons, providing administrative and project support to ScottMadden’s rates & regulation practice. She also supports the energy markets community of practice (CoP) and is an active member of the rates & regulation CoP. Prior to joining ScottMadden, Michelle held positions in sales and marketing within biotechnology, consulting, and publishing.
Operational technology (OT) is a mission-critical function that must increasingly respond to industry changes. The traditional OT model distributed OT responsibilities across operating areas, embedding these responsibilities within engineering functions. While this model provided OT responsiveness to operating areas, several complications have been revealed that reduce its effectiveness in today’s changing environment:
We’ve talked for decades about disruption in the electric and gas industries. We’ve faced “unprecedented challenges,” existential threats, fundamental policy changes, exponential technology growth, extreme weather events, and a changing mix of customer preferences and usage patterns. The vertically integrated electric utility framework of the 1970s has been restructured, fragmented, and recast along asset class boundaries (generation, transmission, etc.), each with different business models, operating frameworks, ownership types, and regulatory oversight. Disruptive threats experienced over the past 50 years have become mainstream and are part of our ongoing dialogue. Is today any different? Given the nature and speed by which major disruptors, such as the clean energy transition, are impacting our industry, it might be.
Barcodes and other automatic identification and data capture (AIDC) technologies are ubiquitous in everyday life. AIDC technologies are everywhere, from grocery stores to passports, because they are mature, proven, and less expensive than they once were. Essentially, if you have not found a way to utilize AIDC technology in your materials management function, you are missing out on worthwhile benefits and stuck in a paper-intensive manual world. AIDC has been used in some capacity since the 1950s, yet today, there are still opportunities for adoption. As the Internet of Things (IoT) and advanced connectivity technologies (e.g., 5G, low Earth orbit satellites) are adopted, AIDC becomes more important than ever to compete with the best-in-class companies and align with materials management leading practices.
In February 2020, with bitcoin at $9,275, the business case for mining with nuclear power was a compelling value proposition. Now, at $47,300, that same proposition is much more compelling. When this value proposition is coupled with the mandate for non-carbon-emitting energy use in cryptocurrency mining, nuclear power is a strong partner.
Faced with macro challenges that threaten the traditional utility business model—stagnant demand, the emergence of distributed resources, decarbonization, unpredictable energy markets, increased regulatory pressures, and lingering impacts of COVID-19—utility leaders are under pressure to simultaneously reduce cost and improve performance.
Are you considering transforming your service delivery model but are unsure about what capabilities and tools to include at launch? Have you been considering advancing your existing shared services center or contact center to the next level by implementing chat capabilities? You’re not alone.
There has been a lot of discussion with respect to the Texas electricity grid this year, particularly since Winter Storm Uri hit the state in February 2021. Regulators, utility executives, and customer advocacy groups are reviewing and
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As investors and consumers increase their focus on sustainability, establishing carbon reduction or net-zero goals has become table stakes among industry leaders. According to a recent report from Data-Driven EnviroLab and the NewClimate Institute, the number of businesses that established net-zero goals increased threefold from 500 at the end of 2019 to more than 1,500 during the first nine months of 2020. Many of these net-zero pledges target full decarbonization by 2050, quickly becoming the benchmark for company climate pledges.
George Penton joined ScottMadden as a director in 2014. With nearly 20 years of prior experience in finance, accounting, and accounting technology, he brings incredible knowledge and expertise to the firm’s corporate & shared services practice. These experiences include shared services design, implementation, and management, post-merger integration, and technology implementation. George holds a B.A. in accounting from Barry University and an M.B.A. from Nova Southeastern University.
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