Perspectives
'Manager of Managers': Rise of Distributed Devices Drives Call for Network Management Solutions
Publish date:Millions of devices are measuring and sometimes controlling the health of our utility networks, and millions more are coming. As distributed resources drive rapid, increasing demand for data-intensive grid management to ensure high- quality, reliable and resilient power delivery, ask yourself this question: How are you keeping up?
Grid Modernization Goes Mainstream, Reliability Is Primary Goal
Publish date:Power sector players got a jolt in January 2019 when Virginia utility regulators rejected the $6 billion grid modernization rate case proposed by Dominion Energy. This “no” followed similar decisions in Kentucky and North Carolina from the previous year. Despite such setbacks, results from Black & Veatch’s 2020 Strategic Directions: Smart Utilities Report survey show that utilities are “all in” on grid modernization plans, and it looks like regulators are moving that way, too.
Communications Networks Are Key to Delivering the Grid of the Future
Publish date:Distribution modernization is inevitable as advances in energy production, storage and control give rise to a new energy marketplace happening at the local distribution level. This evolving landscape leaves utilities questioning how they can maintain the reliability, efficiency and security of their operations, while managing two-way power flows and the influx of digital devices and distributed energy resources (DER).
2020 Strategic Directions: Smart Utilities Report
Publish date:The 2020 Strategic Directions: Smart Utilities Report explores the issues and complexities of the changing utility landscape. Based on expansive industry data collected through our annual survey of electric, water, and natural gas utilities, this year’s report looks beyond individual efforts to take a more holistic view of what it means to deliver the promised grid of the future.
Designing, Developing and Managing Mine Water Infrastructure
Publish date:Designing well-integrated and holistic water management infrastructure for mining operations is a complex undertaking. The overarching infrastructure needs to integrate each individual system that supplies water to the mine – including those systems that transfer water within the mine site, and those that recycle, reuse and discharge effluent into the environment.
2020 STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS: MEGATRENDS
Publish date:Black & Veatch is proud to release its first 2020 Strategic Directions: Megatrends report, which analyzes years of survey data to explore and illuminate some of the most striking and consistent trends across the water, power, telecommunications, natural gas, commercial and industrial (C&I) and manufacturing industries.
Sustainability Drives Mine Water Management Systems
Publish date:A growing global population, rising standards of living, increased urbanization and climate change are driving an increase in water-associated risks around the world. Water is a vital component in mining operations, and the mining industry is being increasingly challenged to develop sustainable water management practices as it works to harmonize the needs of the industry, environment and society.
Game-Changing Business Model: Private LTE for AMI and Smart Utility Programs
Publish date:The landscape of telecommunications options available to support utilities’ OT solutions is rapidly evolving - at a pace compared only by the changing needs of the OT requirements themselves. The movement towards 5G and even greater use of LTE is imminent. But how to take advantage of this evolution is less certain.
Are we creating a postcode lottery for digital water services?
Publish date:The more you can spend to achieve successful outcomes, the greater the likelihood of success. Since the 2013 Australian Grand Prix, no F1 team other than Red Bull, Ferrari or Mercedes has won grand prix. The ‘big three’s’ spending power consistently outstrips the rest of the pack. During the 2018 season, won by Mercedes – with Ferrari second and Red Bull third – the big three spent more money than the other seven teams combined.
Emerging Trends in the Commercial and Industrial Sector
Publish date:In an effort to explore some of the factors reshaping business, Black & Veatch recently polled hundreds of professionals in the commercial and industrial sector to identify emerging trends in resource use with a focus on sustainability, capital spending and energy and water management trends within their organizations.
Master Planning for a Smarter Grid
Publish date:Creating a grid master plan is the first step in the evolution of a more intelligent grid. In this new perspective piece by Black & Veatch Management Consulting Managing Director, Rick Schmidt explores such topics as smart utility migration, infrastructure modernization, technology adoption lifecycle and introduces our 8-stage master planning methodology. The desired goal of the master planning activity is to provide a documented path that provides a roadmap for current focus and future investments.
UK Electricity Market: An Imbalance of Power
Publish date:The power generation market is awash with misconceptions. Not the least of which is the misconception about who “invented” electricity — noting, of course, that electricity is a form of energy and it occurs in nature. Technically, it was never “invented” but rather “discovered.”
Integrated Infrastructure Accelerates Asia Energy Transition
Publish date:Governments across Asia are tapping innovations in generation, transmission and distribution technologies in the power grid to meet increasing energy demand in a sustainable manner. The increased energy demand is a result of rapid population and economic growth in the region. The International Renewable Energy Agency's (IRENA) 2018 Renewable Energy Market Analysis of existing Asia power grid demands shows that energy consumption in Southeast Asia, for example, has doubled in the past two decades. Industry analysts expect the demand for energy to continue growing throughout Asia in the next few years. In anticipation of this growth, an in-depth examination of Asia power grid needs as well as generation potential is urgent.
The mandate for companies looking to electrify fleets: Start planning now
Publish date:Electrification of fleets – everything from garbage trucks and school buses to, yes, parcel trucks and logistics interests – has become the next frontier in the electric vehicle (EV) space.
Energy as a Service: Power Without the ‘Plant’
Publish date:When ride-hailing companies such as Uber and Lyft began disrupting the taxi business a decade ago, taxi operators scoffed and said consumers weren’t ready for such a radical approach to their entrenched business model.