Utilities in deregulated markets are under more pressure than ever to attract and retain customers and are therefore more motivated to considernew technologiestoextend their energy services offering.
In our previous articles regarding theFuture-Proof Utility, we discusseddigitalisation and client loyalty as a push for innovation, andthe importance of a customer-centric approach．While both of these concepts are of crucial strategic importance,technology is the vehicle that will ultimately bring the future-proof utility into being．
In this article, we will discuss 5 technologies utilities are exploring and investing in, and what kind of capabilities are needed to meaningfully expand their energy services.
技术,有助于提高公用事业服务s offeringfrom selling pure kWh to providing digital energy servicesis essential in meeting the demands of today’s highly sophisticated, digital-first customer.
An increasing number of utility customers ask for products that can give them morevisibility, flexibility and controlover their energy consumption．他们想知道如何以及何时使用能源,which requires the implementation of smart technology. In addition, asurvey conducted by theUK Department for Business Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) found thatutilities are trusted by55%of UK respondents,whichrepresents an amazing opportunity for utilities to create extra valuebased on insight, data and services．
Unavoidably, utilities that will not adapt to this paradigm shift will find themselves far behind the competition. Indeed, eventhe world’s biggest companiessuch as Sasol, Engie and Sinopechave committed to emission reduction targets and are willing to adapt themselves to new requirements and expectations.
Yet, a significant demandgap exists between what utility customers want and what their energy providers are able to offerthem from a technological point of view. Here are 5 technologies, from well-established to newly emerging, that will be best placed to fill that gap:
5 Technologies for Data-Driven Utilities
Real-Time Energy Analytics
Utility business customers are increasingly determined to manage their energy consumption patternsin real time.
That is the reason why commercial building owners and facility managers install energy monitors. Indeed, they can close their建筑物能源性能差距by detecting peaks in consumption or forecasting future fuel requirements.
Industrial facilities and manufacturers are especially keen to use predictive analytics to monitor heat and cooling equipment performance:they can automatically alert malfunctions, prevent errors or notify when it is time for maintenance.Even residential customers want on-demand, real-time access to manage and control their personal energy consumption. Utilities are therefore well placed to provide mobile applications and real-time solutions.
Data centresare taking crucial measures to reduce their environmental impact and therefore have excellent Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) metrics.For instance, Google AI company DeepMindhas already achieveda savings rate of 40%on power consumed for cooling purposes alone by using artificial intelligence to optimise energy efficiency.
Similar Big Data and machine learning methods could be applied to utility buildings, evaluate new plant configurations, assess energy efficiency performance, and identify optimisation opportunities.Energy analytics can also help utilities improve grid managementby enabling network balancing with production and consumption forecasting, predictive maintenance of grid infrastructure, and the creation and management of demand response programs.
Virtual Audits
Utilities continueto explore innovationsbased on load disaggregation and behavioural change programmes that use gamification techniques.
Virtual audits are a good example: they use Big Data algorithms todisaggregate utility usage into end uses, such as lighting, pumping, and HVAC. Virtual audits can also identify energy-saving measures by detecting wastage points, peak loads and building automation problems.
Virtual audits can help boost engagement by helping utility customersclearly visualise two important cost-reduction factors:energy use patterns and behaviour, and energy savings potential from retrofits or upgrades to more energy-efficient equipment. They also do it quickly enough to meet the expectations of today’s digital native, always-connected customer – and at a fraction of the cost.
Utilities are especially well-placed to “nudge” their business customers toward data-driven energy efficiency. Many of these commercial and industrial (C&I) customers are responsible for a large portfolio of buildings, which requires a great deal of time to track and review for energy efficiency projects. When hundreds of virtual audit reports can be combined into a single, powerful interface hosted by the utility,business customers will spend more time engaging with their providers to prioritise sites, track projects and evaluate the results．
需求管理ment and Demand Response
Data-driven energy analytics can be applied to demand management to benefit utilities in several use cases, includingdemand response enablement．Significant advances insmart metering,dynamic market-based prices, time-of-use rates, andenergy management systemshave the potential to make electricity loads more responsive to economic and operational signals than ever.
What kind of specific capabilities do utilities need to roll out successful demand response programs? On the customer experience side, utilities will need to think about program design and delivery – which customers are more likely to participate? What will be their end-to-end journey, from enrolment to rewards?
Internally,utilities will need to be technically capableof forecasting load drops, grouping the customers into virtual power plants (VPPs) based on their distributed energy resource (DER) generating capabilities (think electric vehicles, rooftop solar, smart metres, and self-contained microgrids). Then the utility will need to coordinate dispatch events, bill and settle events, offer rewards for changed customer behaviour and have those changes clearly reflected on each bill.
Similar to virtual audits,demand response programs are complexand require inputs from many different data sources.Managing them through a cloud-based “mission control” dashboard would facilitate interfacing with billions of interconnected device loads connected through theenergy Internet of Things．As we mentioned in this article,new data management and control system partnerships with new market actorswill be essential in coordinating DERs and their associated energy services, including demand response.
Blockchain
Blockchainacts as the backbone of the decentralised energy system, facilitating energy transition, in which both utilities and consumers produce and sell electricity.Utilities, therefore, need to be ready for a blockchain-enabled near futurewhere peer-to-peer (P2P) wholesale trading, flexibility trading on regional grids and synchronised grid management processes between TSOs, DSOs and end users are the norm. A decentralised market can alsoshore up revenue for European utilitiesthrough efficiency gains, while making pricing data available for anyone to see, thereby opening the market to smaller players.
Lately, in Europe, several utilities have already shifted towards this efficient and cost-effective technology. Some trading firms converged to conduct P2P trading in the wholesale energy market usingtheEnerchainframework – an application that was used to execute the first European energy trade over the blockchain last year.The goal of Enerchain is to create a blockchain-driven exchange that provides energy wholesalers witha way to list and sell expected future energy generation.
In the UK, the companyElectronhas developed a blockchain-based digitally optimised marketplace through its ElectronConnect platform.
Artificial Intelligence
Utility providers have a less than savoury reputation among consumers when it comes to customer experience, as we explain in previous articles. Long hold times, complicated processes, and a lack of empathy in communication are among the problems facing customers when dealing with their energy providers.
Chatbotsare one way utilities can offer an always-on connection to their customers, providing peace of mind and eliminating fears of unresponsiveness. With a chatbot,utilities can automate the most repetitive customer service requestsand offer thetransparent,directandsolution-driven communicationthat customers have come to expect. Gone are the days of waiting for an email reply! No more listening to that terrible hold music or explaining your issue for the nth time!
Mobile messaging and automated chatbots have additional uses, such as providing customers with relevant and updated information in real time, during emergencies or outages for example. When customers feelconnected,safeandinformed, the quality of the relationship is elevated – churn is reduced and retention rates start to go up.
Time to hear about some real examples. The British Gas chatbot is in charge of booking smart meters appointments; together with Amazon,EDF launched the Alexa skill, enabling the linking of any Eco to an existing customer account; customers can ask theE.on chatbot for a deferment, guiding them through the process, from start to finish. Formerly, in 2017,E.ON launched Sam, supposedly the energy industry’s first ever virtual assistant specifically designed to offer customers a smarter solution to help them manage their energy accounts when they’re moving home.
By no means an exhaustive list, each of these 5 technologies can be a potential vehicle to deliver theproactive energy management required by the utility of the future．Over time, we can say with confidence that a broad array of new technologies will find their way onto the“retailised” gridas utility offerings. These changes are already happening as OEMs, startups, new entrants and VC funds bring new data-driven technologies to revolutionise the power sector.
It is up to utilities to find ways to incorporatethese emerging energy services into their business models and tailor them to each customer segment. Our decade of experience has shown thatcollaboration and synergy between agile technology experts and incumbents is a winning combinationto make this a reality.
Don’t get left behind in the transition to a new era of decentralised power –Get in touch with our experts．
