Leidos Engineering energy experts presented on data analytics, advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) and distributed generation for educational seminars at American Public Power Association’s Business and Financial Conference in Portland, Oregon, Sept. 14-17.
Charles Janecek, Fred Wellington and Navid Nowakhtar led a pre-conference seminar on “Distributed Generation: Unique Issues Facing Public Power.” Distributed generation, particularly solar photovoltaics (PV), is becoming widespread in many markets across the country. This seminar addressed the added complexity to the electric power industry, as well as issues unique to public power that come with the growing trend.
Josh Wepman hosted a seminar on “Utility Data Analytics: Turning Utility Data into Utility Value.” Through AMI deployments and other modernization efforts, utilities have collected new levels of detail from virtually every area of operations. All of the data is supposed to transform the utility into a data-driven and forward-looking operating entity, but data alone seldom achieves this outcome. Wepman explored the path from data to analytics, including common challenges, lessons learned and defining what success should look like.
Scott Burnham joined Andrew Duhon of Lafayette Utilities System to present on “Big Data: What Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) Means for Your Customers.” Utility objections to AMI systems are typically based on misinformation and misunderstanding, and the session were meant to help utilities understand what AMI is — and isn’t — and what benefits and challenges it offers to the utility and its customers. The session also covered how to successfully communicate the benefits of AMI to customers.
The Business and Financial Conference is APPA’s annual meeting for utility professionals in the areas of accounting and finance, customer accounting and services, human resources and training, information technology and pricing and market analysis. For more information, visit the conference website.
