Tim Stout joins E Source as New Utility Efficiency Services Director
Date: July 27, 2010
E SOURCE announced today that Tim Stout has been hired as the new director of efficiency services. He will be responsible for managing three E Source utility focused services: Efficiency and Demand Response, Technology Assessment, and Intelligent Grid. These membership-based services provide research, best practices, tools and unbiased analysis of technologies to utilities looking to improve their energy-efficiency, demand-side management, and smart grid programs.
“We are thrilled to have
Tim join E Source. At National Grid, Tim built and managed one of the longest running and largest energy efficiency programs in North America,” said Kenneth Black, executive vice president of Member Services at E SOURCE. “His insight and market knowledge is going to be a great resource for our members and E Source as he truly understands the challenge utilities face with regards to meeting ever-growing efficiency goals and knows how to develop efficiency programs that get results.”
Stout has over 25 years of energy-related experience including planning, implementation, and evaluation of energy efficiency and demand response programs, and managing regulatory relationships and filings. Most recently, Stout was Vice President, Energy Efficiency: Customer & Markets at National Grid and was responsible for overseeing all electric and gas efficiency programs delivered by National Grid in New England and New York. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the American Council for an Energy Efficiency Economy (ACEEE) and has served on the Board of the Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnership (NEEP) and the Consortium for Energy Efficiency (CEE).
About E SOURCE
E SOURCE has been providing unbiased, objective energy business intelligence to over 300 utilities and large corporate energy users for more than 20 years. We provide analysis, research and tools that increase the effectiveness of our customers' operations, programs, and customer relationships. Our research analysts and consultants provide expertise in energy efficiency, utility customer satisfaction, program design, marketing, energy management, energy procurement, supply management, and carbon management.
Public Relations Contact
Wendy Bloechle, Director of Marketing, E SOURCE
wendy_bloechle@esource.com
303-345-9158… more…OSIsoft Announces Its Selection by AGL Energy for AMI Integration with SAP
Date: July 20, 2010
OSIsoft MDUS provides infrastructure for meter data collection, management and synchronization with SAP for Utilities
San Leandro, CA – July 20, 2010 – OSIsoft, LLC (
www.osisoft.com), the leader in real-time data infrastructure solutions, today announced it has been selected as the meter data unification and synchronization system (MDUS) for AGL Energy Limited (AGL).
AGL is Australia’s largest integrated rene
wable energy company with a wide range of renewable generation, serving more than three million customer accounts. In 2006, the Victorian Government mandated the deployment of advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) for all customers consuming less than 160 Megawatt Hours of electricity per year, meaning by the end of 2013 approximately 3.5 million AMI meters will be deployed across this service territory. To meet the requirements, AGL’s retail business recognized the need to efficiently manage the increased meter data requirements and ensure high performance integration with its core SAP retail customer information systems.
OSIsoft, LLC will deliver the real-time infrastructure for AGL’s advanced metering infrastructure (AMI). The OSIsoft MDUS product will provide the data capture and historical repository for meter data and the integration with SAP for Utilities.
OSIsoft was selected based on a history of delivering scalable technology, the flexibility of the PI System infrastructure, and its SAP partnership. AGL plans to go live with OSIsoft MDUS in September 2011, and the system could grow to 5 million meters by 2014 as new service territories deploy AMI meters.
“OSIsoft MDUS is a good choice due to the organization’s demonstrated capability in managing large volumes of real-time data in other industries, and a number of significantly larger international energy companies have made similar decisions,” said Owen Coppage, CIO, AGL.
“OSIsoft has been a leader in providing real-time infrastructure for the smart grid,” said Ron Kolz, senior vice president of Sales & Business Development of OSIsoft. “The OSIsoft MDUS product uses OSIsoft technology to provide a robust infrastructure for meter data collection and integration with the SAP back office functions.”
About OSIsoft, LLC
OSIsoft (www.osisoft.com) delivers the PI System, the industry standard in enterprise infrastructure, for management of real-time data and events. With installations in 107 countries spanning the globe, the OSIsoft PI System is used in manufacturing, energy, utilities, life sciences, data centers, facilities, and the process industries. This global installed base relies upon the OSIsoft PI System to safeguard data and deliver enterprise-wide visibility into operational, manufacturing and business data. The PI System enables users to manage assets, mitigate risks, comply with regulations, improve processes, drive innovation, make business decisions in real time, and to identify competitive business and market opportunities.
Founded in 1980, OSIsoft, LLC is headquartered in San Leandro, CA, with operations worldwide and is privately held. Learn more about OSIsoft and the PI System at www.osisoft.com.
Editorial contact
Larry Keefe
OSIsoft
585.721.2233
lkeefe@osisoft.com
© 2010 OSIsoft, LLC. All rights reserved. OSIsoft, LLC and the OSIsoft logo are registered trademarks of OSIsoft LLC in the United States and other countries. SAP and all SAP logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP AG in Germany and in several other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
… more…Pioneering Virginia Utility Picks Tantalus for Fiber-Based Smart Grid
Date: July 14, 2010
Raleigh, NC – July 7, 2010 – BVU (formerly Bristol Virginia Utilities) has become the ninth Tennessee Valley Authority electric distributor to use Tantalus as its Smart Grid communications platform, and the fourth straight utility-owned broadband provider in the region to select the technology.
Tantalus Systems Inc. will provide BVU with a Smart Grid solution that operates over OptiNet, the Fiber to the Home (FTTH) network deployed by the city in 2003. OptiNet offers high-speed, high-capa
city connectivity to the utility’s 16,000 electric and 8,000 water accounts located in the City of Bristol as well as to customers at the farthest ends of its southwest Virginia service area.
“The pace of Smart Grid deployments in the Tennessee Valley is like nowhere else,” said Eric Murray, Tantalus’ President & CEO. “Our technology is proving to be a perfect fit for utilities like Bristol that serve both urban and rural customers, whether they use a wired system, a wireless system, or a combination of the two.”
“The frequency of data transactions is increasing by orders of magnitude,” added Murray. “A utility must be certain that network efficiency will not diminish as traffic skyrockets. In addition to a high capacity, low latency backbone network, it’s equally important that there are no congestion points on the local area network.”
The wireless Tantalus LAN is designed so data moves efficiently between the utility and every endpoint, regardless of whether a premise is connected directly to the FTTH network. This configuration ensures a smooth evolution as time-of-use pricing, load shedding, customer signalling and advanced distribution automation applications become more prevalent.
Broadband is credited for breathing new life into the region, according to Wes Rosenbalm, BVU’s President & CEO. “Here, triple-play has translated into high-paying jobs, incredible educational opportunities and a local economy built to thrive during tough times.”
It has also filled the utility’s trophy case. Among BVU’s recent honors are a National League of Cities’ Gold Medal for Municipal Excellence, awards for community service and environmental sustainability from the American Public Power Association, being named the Community Broadband Fiber Network of the Year by the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors, and being singled out at the 2009 Building the Broadband Economy Summit as a world-leading Intelligent Community.
“We’ve seen first-hand how broadband can transform a community by attracting business and improving quality of life,” said Rosenbalm. “Our sights are now set on implementing a Smart Grid that will have the same positive impact on the way energy is distributed and managed. The ability to leverage OptiNet for additional cost and energy savings will continue to pay off for years to come.”
“Bristol is a community that invests intelligently in its future,” said Murray. “It was the first U.S. municipality to offer phone, cable and data services over a community-owned fiber network. Now it has created a Homerun™ network by adding Smart Grid functionality that will help ensure both economic and environmental sustainability as well as enabling BVU to maintain a very high level of customer service.”
… more…Milsoft and Cooperative Response Center (CRC): Increasing Customer Satisfaction!
Date: July 09, 2010
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Steve Collier, VP of Business Development
Milsoft Utility Solutions
800.344.5647
info@milsoft.comwww.milsoft.comABILENE, Texas – June 3, 2010 — Milsoft and CRC announced today a unique opportunity to drastically improve service levels for their joint customers. CRC is now offering Milsoft IVR customers the option to
include “opt out” live answer services. Additionally, CRC will provide enhanced dispatching services using Milsoft’s DisSPatch® Outage Management System. “Milsoft is very, very excited that CRC is now offering dispatch services using DisSPatch for our joint clients. The ability to have live answer services plus the level of data and detail in dispatching that DisSPatch provides, is really a world class offering. The utility customer enjoys a great experience during a difficult event (power outage), the CRC dispatcher can provide linemen or service personnel immediate details regarding point of failure and location thereby expediting the restoration, and lastly, the use of DisSPatch by CRC dispatchers actively maintains all data for utility reporting indices”, said Ed Carlson, Executive Vice President, Sales and IVR, Milsoft Utility Solutions.
”CRC’s offering of “live answer opt out” services for Milsoft IVR/CRC joint customers is also a very exciting opportunity to increase customer service levels. Through this offering, CRC has the ability to conclude unresolved calls or handle sensitive interactions like customers who have been disconnected for non-pay,” Carlson added.
“We’re excited about the opportunity to partner with Milsoft, a well known industry leader, to offer better solutions and service to our joint customers. This synergy with Milsoft will be an important step in CRC’s efforts to improve service levels on behalf of our shared customers”, stated Chris Holt, Chief Operating Officer of CRC. Holt added, “We need to look at establishing partnerships with leading edge companies such as Milsoft to better serve the industry and help our joint clients navigate ways to positively impact their bottom line and improve the overall customer experience. By offering DisSPatch and live answer opt out service, our joint clients can spend more time focusing on the challenges ahead with the knowledge that their customers are being taken care of by two industry leaders.”
About Milsoft Utility Solutions, Inc.
Milsoft has provided powerful software solutions for power system professionals in over 1,000 rural electric cooperatives, municipalities, educational institutions and consultant offices in the United States and abroad. Milsoft offers a suite of software solutions including Engineering Analysis, Outage Management, Integrated Voice Response, Geospatial Information Systems and Field Engineering to optimize utility performance and efficiency. Milsoft has developed an outstanding reputation for delivering quality products, services and support to the electric utility industry for over two decades and continues to thrive on product innovation and superior customer support. To learn more, start here: www.milsoft.com
About CRC
CRC is a nationwide, cooperatively owned and operated, 24/7 contact center and central station. Founded in 1992, CRC has steadily increased the size and scope of its operation with offices in Austin, Minn., and Dunlap, Tenn. CRC serves 253 members and associate members in 37 states, representing 3.3 million consumers. For more information, contact
Julie Schramek, Corporate Communications Manager at 507-437-2304 or email at julieschramek@crc.coop.… more…Protect Your Utility from the Costs of Cyber Attacks and Data Breaches
Date: July 14, 2010
By Graeme Newman
Every public power utility is a prime target for cyber thieves. Utility databases contain private identity and financial information on virtually all residents in a service area, including checking account and credit card data. Utility computer records also contain coveted social security
numbers of employees. All of the utility’s critical data is at risk from viruses, hackers, malicious employees, and accidental damage. The utility, therefore, is at risk for a
n array of financial costs associated with cyber crimes and losses:
• Theft or unauthorized use of private data
• Alteration, corruption, destruction, deletion or damage of data
• Failure to prevent transmission of malicious code
• Failure to disclose a security breach in violation of law
• Failure to comply with civil regulatory claims
See full article here: http://tiny.cc/iu1bm… more…Industry Insights from Baker Tilly
Date: July 09, 2010
Quality of Evidence and the NERC Compliance Audit Observations from Both Sides of the Table
-Russ Hissom, CPA, Partner, Baker Tilly
The energy industry is no stranger to strict regulation. One of the more recent (since 2007) is the requirement of utilities to meet the reliability standards mandated by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) which is overseen by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) by federal law. NERC received this mandate as part of t
he 2005 Energy Act and its mission is to ensure the reliability of the bulk power system in North America.
Click to read more: http://tiny.cc/jor9a… more…
