ScottMadden recently joined forces with APQC to present a complimentary webinar, “Gaining Insight through Predictive Analytics.” From trends in analytics to strategies for standing up an analytics function, this 60-minute session, presented by Tina Krebs and Scott Manning, partners at ScottMadden, provides guidance on how organizations can leverage analytics.
Gas utilities are mainstay in energy supply, and their operations continue to be of vital importance across multiple sectors. In today’s shifting energy landscape, managing utilities has become increasingly complex as gas utility companies strive to meet customer demands with infrastructure investments.
We believe the use of MYRPs will continue to grow as utilities and commissions work to overcome the limitations of traditional ratemaking in order to balance the needs of the ratepayers and shareholders with the realities of operating and maintaining a safe, reliable, and sustainable power delivery system.
Electric and gas companies continue to be faced with: attrition or slow growth, at best, volatile commodity prices, uncertain demand, shrinking margins, and continued competition from evolving technologies.
The combination of increasing environmental regulations, renewable energy policy and technology advances, and continued production of cheap natural gas from unconventional North American resources is shifting the capacity and energy mix in the United States and Canada. Industry observers are trying to gauge how quickly we can make this transition and what the implications are for energy infrastructure adequacy, reliability, and economics, from gas pipeline capacity to power generation to the electric grid. Read more below.
The distributed generation market, particularly solar, continues to grow, and solar developers are employing different models to promote that expansion. Utilities, meanwhile, are re-examining their own business models and regulatory paradigms to determine whether and how to accommodate distributed generation or participate in this market. Read more below.
Distributed generation, net metering, and other potential sources of utility revenue reduction and disintermediation in the energy value chain are expanding. Meanwhile, utilities must continue to maintain grid reliability and reasonable rates for all customers. To accomplish this, utilities and their regulators are considering changes to the traditional regulatory construct and rate design to get this balance right. Read more below.
A long-term decline in electricity consumption, growth advances in energy efficiency, monitoring, and control technologies, and the surprisingly rapid growth of rooftop solar and other renewable generation are challenging the traditional volume-based utility revenue model. Utilities are formulating strategies in response to this changing business environment, examining growth drivers (such as acquisitions), and trying to glean lessons from other countries and regions that are rapidly transitioning to renewable energy sources. Read more below.
We are pleased to announce our Winter 2013-2014 issue of THE SCOTTMADDEN ENERGY INDUSTRY UPDATE. This semi-annual publication features our view of recent significant events and emerging trends in the energy industry.
The internet has enabled different delivery models for business software, such as Software as a Service (SaaS). The emergence of this model has led to an important decision for many companies: whether to “buy” on-premise software or “rent” their technologies through a SaaS vendor. This report provides an overview of SaaS for finance.
This report examines ISO New England’s recent decisions to shift its generation portfolio toward more renewable generation sources. This move places new expectations on simple and combined cycle generation and the natural gas pipelines that serve those plants, especially in the winter months when a “dual peak” often occurs. So, how is ISO New England stacking up so far?
It is our view that establishing a governance model for NERC compliance is key to mitigate violations found by auditors and avoid costly fines. Asset owners must provide governance and oversight. We see well-defined compliance processes and open communication with outsourced providers as critical to success.
Sussex Economic Advisors is now part of ScottMadden. We invite you to learn more about our expanded firm. Please use the Contact Us form to request additional information.
