August 21, 2009

When it comes to a smarter grid, utilities have been learning that success is about more than just technology. It's about people -- people inside the utility and people outside.

That is, in order for a project to succeed, it is important to have all of the internal departments on the same page and working together. These include administration, operations, engineering, IT and customer service. Similarly, understanding and cooperation are vital with external entities, such as municipalities, legislatures, regulators and consumer groups.

Below are a few letters received at EnergyBiz Insider on topics that appeared in the past few weeks. They capture the essence of how many readers say they feel.

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August 17, 2009

As the country wends its way out of the dark recession, more pressure will be put on utilities and other businesses to invest anew in environmentally friendly technologies. While such a cause is admirable, it will still be slow in coming.

Credit markets, of course, have been tight since the downturn officially began in December 2007. During such times, the natural inclination is to hunker down, preserve cash and wait. That survival technique, though, comes at a cost. And in this case, it's taken not just a toll on jobs but also on environmental spending. Companies, in effect, feel less immediate pressure to invest in carbon-free technologies.

August 12, 2009

Mobile field workers' toolkits aren't your grandfather's wire pliers

As U.S. utilities continue a quarter-century process of building out more intelligent organizations and smart grids, they are using and adapting technological tools to push those "smarts" further into the field. At the most advanced utilities -- and not all utilities have progressed at the same rate -- the average lineman on a pole may look and be equipped more like an astronaut than the average hard-hatted working man he appeared 20 years ago.

The traditional "toolkit" linemen once carried has been greatly expanded from the days when it included screwdrivers, pliers, wire strippers, and other more conventional hand tools. Today, the typical utility mobile worker's toolkit -- at the more advanced utilities -- includes an array of digital devices and communications systems that were unknown 20 years ago.

August 10, 2009

Climate change policies may be evolving in the United States. But they are they still formulating among developing nations. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton felt the full force of such challenges during a recent visit to India.

In what may be termed as a polite but tense exchange between Clinton and the Indian Environmental Minister, Jairam Ramesh, the two traded barbs and discussed their respective roles in helping to minimize man-made carbon emissions that are considered by United Nations scientists to be the leading cause of global warming.