Technology and the Future of Utilities

In the Cisco Blog, a good overview of how tech is helping redesign and enable energy utilities.  Making them more efficient and secure.   

Energy - Oil & Gas and Utilities
The Future of Utilities
By Wes Sylvester

As we power through our #FutureofPublicSector blog series, today we make a stop at the future of energy as we explore the energy sources of the future and how technology is enabling greater outcomes at each stage of the energy continuum.  

For centuries, society has relied on hydrocarbons like oil, coal and natural gas to generate energy. These fossil fuels are burned at power plants to create electricity which then moves through our communities using a complex grid of electricity substations and power lines. Higher voltage electricity can be moved more efficiently although lower voltage electricity is safer for everyday use. Transformers at substations work to adjust electricity voltages at different stages of the journey from the power plant to homes and businesses where they power our days. 

Sparking the Next Generation of Energy
Not only are these fossil fuels depleting, they generate air pollution and greenhouse gases that are directly contributing towards climate change. As a result, the entire energy landscape is evolving: from where energy comes from (generation), how it gets to communities (transmission) and how it gets to homes and businesses (distribution).

The future of energy is shifting in a definitively renewable direction as more countries, companies and consumers push for a move away from using fossil fuels to generate energy: driving the adoption of more natural resources like solar and wind power. To survive today and prepare for tomorrow, energy utility companies must focus on delivering a more reliable and efficient service, generated from more sustainable and renewable sources. 

Here’s a look at how technology is helping to solve these challenges in the electric utilities industry: 
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