| | September 20196Copyright © 2019 ValleyMedia, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part of any text, photography or illustrations without written permission from the publisher is prohibited. The publisher assumes no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or illustrations. Views and opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the magazine and accordingly, no liability is assumed by the publisher thereof. SEPTEMBER - 20 - 2019, Vol 03 - Issue 08 Published by ValleyMedia, Inc. To subscribe to Utilities Tech OutlookVisit www.utilitiestechoutlook.com Editorial StaffSalesAaron Pierce Ava GarciaJoshua Parker Kenny PeruzziRich Gonsalvesrich@utilitiestechoutlook.comVisualizersScott JuasyManaging EditorOlivia SmithEDITOR'S DESKWhen smart grids were initially conceived, the basic idea was to reduce the environmental impact of the power grid and increase the utilization of renewable energy. In many ways, smart grids were viewed as "a luxury" that improved the efficiency of energy supply and consumption, but not necessarily "a necessity" to sustain the energy needs of a city or region. However, the recent natural disasters affecting California (wildfires) and Florida (hurricanes) have proven to be an eye-opener for utilities companies, businesses, and even consumers. Now, there is a strong belief that smart grids are a must-have since they possess the capability to provide continuous energy supply to disaster-struck regions. Since smart grids can conserve energy in storage systems, and transmit power to places affected by power disturbances, state authorities across the U.S. are making heavy investments into the technology. Also, with the state of California mandating that utilities turn off the grid up to 30 times a year--to alleviate threats of wildfires--businesses are beginning to acknowledge the need for smart grids. Just like any novel concept, smart grids are in a constant state of evolution. Using various technologies such as AI and IoT, smart grids are effectively addressing demand responses and grid optimization, while reducing the count of affected user in case of faults. Also, smart grid platforms have made consumer-supplier two-way communication the order of the day. A paradigm where consumers get direct access to personalized content such as actionable information related to alerts, high electricity bill warnings, and visualizations of their usage patterns, on a regular basis. Smart grids are also making use of new age techniques to help utilities maintain transparency, and improve reliability and availability of the power system. Driven by advanced metering infrastructure, smart metering is strengthening bi-directional data transfer and sustained reduction in the environmental effects. Most importantly, smart grids have the ability to easily integrate with existing grid systems or even solar energy systems. A multitude of technology vendors are helping the global energy industry to reap the benefits of smart grids. In leafing through these pages, your organization stands to identify a vendor most suitable to your specific business requirements.Olivia Smith Managing Editoreditor@utilitiestechooutlook.comEvolving from a Luxury to a Necessity Olivia Smith*Some of the Insights are based on the interviews with respective CIOs and CXOs to our editorial staffContact Us:Phone:510 330 5172 Fax:510-894-8405Vian Isaac
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