How leading Utilities are innovating with the cloud
We’ve talked in the past about the significant transformation that the energy industry is undergoing. Whether it’s the trends around energy reduction as alternative technologies like solar and wind are on the rise, or the impact that distributed energy resources such as renewables are having the decision-making process, Utilities need to transform their business models and services to address the needs of new ecosystems, such as digital factories, intelligent buildings, and the smart energy continuum.
To do that, the industry is looking at ways to harness the power of today’s digital technologies. While the Internet of Things (IoT) has become a powerful force in its ability to connect and draw invaluable insights from the systems, devices and people across the smart energy continuum, what’s truly propelling digital transformation forward is cloud computing. The ubiquity of the cloud is putting the disruptive digital power in the hands of organizations of all sizes, increasing the pace of innovation and competition.
Azure: The trusted cloud for Utilities
Cloud computing offers many compelling opportunities for Utilities, including the ability to bring new business models to market quickly, supporting maintenance and operational teams over dispersed geographical areas, as well as offering data storage for smart grid and other storage-intensive applications. Cloud applications provide scalable computer capacity for applications such as outage management, power trading, and risk analytics. But with these opportunities also comes the need for Utilities to be able to provide a strong level of security.
Microsoft Azure is the cloud platform of choice for leading Utilities. Due to Microsoft’s deep focus on security, Azure is just as safe—if not safer—than most on-premises setups. The Azure trusted cloud platform addresses three important concerns that Utilities face around security, sovereignty, and compliance. Because Azure can integrate with existing on-premises investments, Utilities can get started faster and maintain secure, reliable operation of the electric power system.
We are seeing Utilities doing amazing things to transform into digital businesses using Azure. Here are just a few of their stories:
ABT Power Management
Creating next-generation power management with Azure IoT
To create a more standardized, scalable remote monitoring system that could easily be adapted to a wide range of scenarios, ABT knew that the cloud was the best option. ABT found what it was looking for in Microsoft Azure. The company worked with local IoT/advanced-analytics consultant and Microsoft partner Mariner to create an enhanced remote-monitoring system. ABT is using the new capabilities to provide reports to the customer and real-time alerts to ABT technicians who drive service. The new platform can also improve power management and uptime in virtually every scenario, including 24/7 operations, environments with fully automated, unmanned vehicles, and even installations in extreme hot or cold temperatures. The results: longer battery life, reduced energy consumption, and lower costs.
EnBW
Innovative Utility Deploys Smart Streetlights as Digital Service Stations for the City of the Future
German utility EnBW lights up city streets with enhanced street lamps that incorporate digital service stations where sensors collect environmental data, drivers can charge their electric vehicles, Internet users can connect, and individuals can contact emergency dispatchers. The Microsoft Azure cloud facilitates the necessary data management and analytics, and Microsoft Services helps EnBW bring further innovation to smart streetlights and profit from it.
Energias de Portugal (EDP)
Cloud Microsoft Help EPAL and EDP to increase levels of efficiency
Learn how the Microsoft Azure Cloud technology allows EPAL and EDP to access and share information in real time, allowing them to reduce costs and be more efficient in the water supply and electricity industries.
juwi AG, juwi O&M
For juwi, a major developer of renewable energy projects worldwide, knowing the current status of its wind facilities is no longer enough. It needs to know their future status, too. And with Resolto Prognos on Microsoft Azure, it does. juwi uses the Prognos predictive analytics solution to identify major plant failures before they occur, so it can buy parts and schedule and implement maintenance at lower cost—and improve uptime at the same time. The result can reduce costs dramatically for customers.
Sogn og Fjordane Energi
Powering Norwegian communities with smart energy
Norwegian power company Sogn og Fjordane Energi (SFE) is determined to stay at the forefront of energy innovation. Split into three independent divisions—production, grid, and retail—the company wanted a technology platform that would help improve efficiency and competitiveness. So the company teamed with eSmart Systems, an energy management system vendor and expert in big data solutions for the IT and energy sectors, to connect sensors and meters to the cloud for real-time and predictive analytics. SFE chose a small community in a fjord for a pilot project called “Smart Valley,” which connects every building—including homes, schools, and health centers—to the Microsoft Azure cloud platform and the Azure Internet of Things Suite. This will enable SFE to improve performance with both real-time response and proactive maintenance.
As you can see, today’s forward-thinking Utilities are taking advantage of the intelligent cloud to drive real transformational change. They are changing how they deliver personal customer experiences; how they reimagine business processes and optimize operations to be more agile and responsive; how they develop new services-based business models in order to deliver significant new results; and how they build a more open, connected, and trusted workforce and ecosystem.
And this change not only enables them to survive, but to thrive in today’s new smart energy continuum.
LinkedIn: Larry Cochrane
