"Orchestrating an effective business continuity solution"

By: INTEGRAL ANALYTICS

Across the U.S., demand-side management (DSM)4 activities, budgets and programs continue to grow in importance and to increase in overall magnitude in response to state and national policy. The effectiveness of these programs can benefit greatly from better integration and optimization in planning and operations. In the smart grid context, both the optimal integration and the full valuation of DSM cost-effectiveness (CE) have been challenging and difficult to achieve.5 Important interactive effects between measures and full optimization have been difficult to quantify, which in the long run cause poor investment decisions, misalignments, lost opportunities, and stranded benefits. This paper contends that much greater planning and operational efficiency (and resulting benefits) can be captured through robust valuation and optimization of the grid and the full integrated DSM (IDSM) portfolio, which will in turn show greater business case opportunities. Water related benefits, including embedded-energy-in-water, can also be further integrated and optimized. A critical outcome of better integration and optimization is to effectively and systematically optimize consumer engagement, with corresponding cost reductions.

By: Platinum DB Consulting

Corporations across the full spectrum of industries have been planning and executing projects since their founding. Across the passage of time methodologies and processes mature, tools are introduced and enhanced, knowledge is acquired and shared, practices (both good and bad) become ingrained into the corporate culture. For many of these businesses anything greater than a minor change to the status quo presents a major challenge, especially if the change is not sponsored by Senior Management and the benefits are not readily identifiable and quantifiable by those impacted. If the architects of change fail to address the critical question that is asked or implied by all interested parties and stakeholders, “What’s in it for me?” the initiative, whatever it is, will be at severe risk of failure.