The digital path to electric utility transformation leadership
Digitizing grids has shot up the priority ladder of utilities from a “should do” to a “must” — and it needs to happen soon. That’s because digitization is at the heart of future power distribution systems. It is transforming many areas of the electric utility business in order to boost efficiency and manage demand. Demand management allows utilities to optimize flexible loads by leveraging consumers’ own consumption. It’s an important innovation to maximize smart grid performance as utilities seek to incorporate and accommodate distributed energy resources (DER) and microgrids while simultaneously improving reliability and managing peak loads. Until recently, distribution utilities were limited to ensuring optimal operation of purely passive networks, but today they have the capabilities to look downstream and adjust demand to meet the available supply. This flexibility is made possible through digital technology that incentivizes customers to change their behavior and adjust energ...