Utility Horizons. What exactly does that mean? Well, it means a lot of things, but the way I look at it the door to the future of utilities (its horizons, if you will) is now wide open. Utilities have operated in much the same way for the better part of the past century, but as is often said: That was then, and this is now! Today, things are not only different but also changing at an unprecedented pace and on multiple levels.
Over the course of the year, this column will delve into what the future might hold for utilities, suppliers, consultants, and anyone with a stake or interest in utility automation and information technology markets. We’ll explore marketplace characteristics; market drivers, issues and trends; market size and growth profiles; supplier dynamics and competition; and many other dimensions of this new and exciting era – all from a utility automation/IT perspective.
It is my personal, as well as my professional belief that automation is all too often either taken for granted, or conversely, overlooked entirely as a safe, effective, efficient and economical way to solve many of the problems facing the utility industry today. Whether the issue is customer service, conservation, demand response, real-time operations, mobile computing, regulatory compliance, reliability, safety, asset management or other business or operational considerations, automation is increasingly at the heart of the solutions.
However, although some utilities have begun to realize that automation can save time, money and critical resources, all too many still fall back on what have, until now, been considered tried and proven methods. This approach, though familiar and comfortable, typically involves protracted planning, design, permitting and construction that can take many years to accomplish. This is not meant to imply that automation can cure all or even most of the problems, but it definitely CAN solve some of them; or at the very least, provide some valuable time by mitigating problems and averting a crisis while more permanent solutions are developed and put in place. (This is not to say that automation is a temporary fix. Indeed, many of the long-term solutions are also heavily automation-centric!)
Taking full advantage of all that automation has to offer necessarily begins with knowledge and awareness. As with most things problematic, education is not only at the root of the solution; it often is the solution in the longer term if not immediately. That’s where this magazine and, I hope, this column can help pave the way to a more enlightened set of automation users. However, just reading about what others are doing is not sufficient in and of itself.
Ever since September 11, 2001, most of the conferences I attend (about a dozen each year, give or take a few) as well as those attended by clients and colleagues have experienced at least some decline in their attendance. At first, this was blamed almost entirely on the 911 attacks and the resulting security concerns that brought travel for all but the most critical reasons to a near standstill for more than a year. Now, although business travel has made a remarkable rebound, conference attendance remains well below pre-911 levels. Why is that? Well, in part it’s because like many things, 911 caused us to rethink and reevaluate our priorities.
With the growing power of the Internet, the vast resources brought to our desktops daily by the Web and the rapid proliferation of electronic communications, I think we are all feeling a certain sense of closeness that in reality does not exist. There is a growing tendency to think that we don’t need the more traditional forms of human communications we enjoy at industry gatherings and personal meetings because we feel that they are too costly, too time-consuming or simply redundant. Sorry, but I must strongly disagree.
As the High Tech/High Touch axiom introduced in the best selling 1980s novel, MegaTrendsso accurately captured, we are all human beings who need direct contact with other human beings. The book goes on to explain that when high tech offerings are introduced, if there isn’t a counterbalancing high touch component, the technology is rejected. So, as we continue to downsize our human contact through greater dependencies on email and the Web, I can’t help but wonder if that isn’t at least part of the reason why automation technology seems to be getting less attention than it deserves.
Whatever the reasons for this reluctance might be, the fact is, there already exists a vast array of automation solutions (with many more on the way) that are just begging to be employed. Therefore, I challenge each of you to expand your own Utility Horizons: Go out and actively seek new and innovative solutions. Don’t wait for the justification of a budget to create a project; justify the budget from the needs – and I really doubt that anyone could argue there is any deficiency of those!
About the Author
Mike Marullo has been active in the automation, controls and instrumentation field for more than 35 years and is a widely published author of numerous technical articles, industry directories and market research reports. An independent consultant since 1984, he is co-founder and Director of Research & Consulting for InfoNetrix LLC, a New Orleans-based market intelligence firm focused on Utility Automation and IT markets. Inquiries or comments about this column may be directed to Mike at MAM@InfoNetrix.com.
©2005 Jaguar Media, Inc. & Michael A. Marullo. All rights reserved.
Over the course of the year, this column will delve into what the future might hold for utilities, suppliers, consultants, and anyone with a stake or interest in utility automation and information technology markets. We’ll explore marketplace characteristics; market drivers, issues and trends; market size and growth profiles; supplier dynamics and competition; and many other dimensions of this new and exciting era – all from a utility automation/IT perspective.
It is my personal, as well as my professional belief that automation is all too often either taken for granted, or conversely, overlooked entirely as a safe, effective, efficient and economical way to solve many of the problems facing the utility industry today. Whether the issue is customer service, conservation, demand response, real-time operations, mobile computing, regulatory compliance, reliability, safety, asset management or other business or operational considerations, automation is increasingly at the heart of the solutions.
However, although some utilities have begun to realize that automation can save time, money and critical resources, all too many still fall back on what have, until now, been considered tried and proven methods. This approach, though familiar and comfortable, typically involves protracted planning, design, permitting and construction that can take many years to accomplish. This is not meant to imply that automation can cure all or even most of the problems, but it definitely CAN solve some of them; or at the very least, provide some valuable time by mitigating problems and averting a crisis while more permanent solutions are developed and put in place. (This is not to say that automation is a temporary fix. Indeed, many of the long-term solutions are also heavily automation-centric!)
Taking full advantage of all that automation has to offer necessarily begins with knowledge and awareness. As with most things problematic, education is not only at the root of the solution; it often is the solution in the longer term if not immediately. That’s where this magazine and, I hope, this column can help pave the way to a more enlightened set of automation users. However, just reading about what others are doing is not sufficient in and of itself.
Ever since September 11, 2001, most of the conferences I attend (about a dozen each year, give or take a few) as well as those attended by clients and colleagues have experienced at least some decline in their attendance. At first, this was blamed almost entirely on the 911 attacks and the resulting security concerns that brought travel for all but the most critical reasons to a near standstill for more than a year. Now, although business travel has made a remarkable rebound, conference attendance remains well below pre-911 levels. Why is that? Well, in part it’s because like many things, 911 caused us to rethink and reevaluate our priorities.
With the growing power of the Internet, the vast resources brought to our desktops daily by the Web and the rapid proliferation of electronic communications, I think we are all feeling a certain sense of closeness that in reality does not exist. There is a growing tendency to think that we don’t need the more traditional forms of human communications we enjoy at industry gatherings and personal meetings because we feel that they are too costly, too time-consuming or simply redundant. Sorry, but I must strongly disagree.
As the High Tech/High Touch axiom introduced in the best selling 1980s novel, MegaTrendsso accurately captured, we are all human beings who need direct contact with other human beings. The book goes on to explain that when high tech offerings are introduced, if there isn’t a counterbalancing high touch component, the technology is rejected. So, as we continue to downsize our human contact through greater dependencies on email and the Web, I can’t help but wonder if that isn’t at least part of the reason why automation technology seems to be getting less attention than it deserves.
Whatever the reasons for this reluctance might be, the fact is, there already exists a vast array of automation solutions (with many more on the way) that are just begging to be employed. Therefore, I challenge each of you to expand your own Utility Horizons: Go out and actively seek new and innovative solutions. Don’t wait for the justification of a budget to create a project; justify the budget from the needs – and I really doubt that anyone could argue there is any deficiency of those!
About the Author
Mike Marullo has been active in the automation, controls and instrumentation field for more than 35 years and is a widely published author of numerous technical articles, industry directories and market research reports. An independent consultant since 1984, he is co-founder and Director of Research & Consulting for InfoNetrix LLC, a New Orleans-based market intelligence firm focused on Utility Automation and IT markets. Inquiries or comments about this column may be directed to Mike at MAM@InfoNetrix.com.
©2005 Jaguar Media, Inc. & Michael A. Marullo. All rights reserved.
