Grid modernization planning is critical to utilities as the industry responds to the formidable challenges of future electric grid demands. The development of a technology roadmap is a critical first step in fully optimizing the benefits and prioritizing investments new technology and systems.
When an electric utility in the Southeastern U.S. needed to strengthen its grid modernization efforts, it enlisted the help of Qualus to develop a strategy with the core objective of increasing their operational efficiency in delivering reliable power to its roughly 165,000 customers.
Qualus was initially engaged to complete a roadmap around its existing, substantial investment in Oracle software. Overall, they had successfully captured the economies of these investments and now needed to advance their grid modernization efforts to the next level.
Through a detailed analysis, our approach enabled a more comprehensive view of the current technology landscape. The utility was in the early stages of evaluating advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) and advanced Demand Response solutions. There were also ongoing discussions on vital operational technology needs regarding work management and geographic information system (GIS).
Once the analysis was complete, a roadmap was created that would be implemented in multiple stages. The first phase focused on various upgrade scenarios for the utility customer information system (CIS), which was several releases behind. With these upgrades in place, the utility was better equipped to make an investment decision in AMI as well as an upgrade to their automatic meter reading (AMR) system. To support the effort, the roadmap was expanded to create the baseline business case for both solutions, which would further optimize their operations.
The outcome of the roadmap was a critical element of the utility’s application for a federal infrastructure grant to design and execute a multi-faceted AMI project within its service territory. Based on feedback from the utility, our work provided the perfect balance of strategic thinking and experienced-based, actionable steps to help them progress in their grid modernization journey.
Related News & Insights