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Utilities Must Bridge the Divide Between IT and OT to Realize the Benefits of the Smart Grid
(Transmission & Distribution World Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Uncertainty as to how new IT systems should be incorporated into
network operations continues to slow the advance of smart grid
technologies. Though the need to support smart meters has already
driven significant change in the utility IT landscape, the
evolution of the smart grid from the initial deployment of smart
meters to a dynamic, intelligent network supporting bidirectional
communications between utilities and customers is only just
beginning. According to a recent report from Pike Research, a
part of Navigant’s Energy Practice, the need to define and
deploy new IT systems to support the smart grid is driving greater
collaboration between the information technology (IT) and
operational technology (OT) sides of the business.
Utilities are taking varied approaches to solving this
challenge, says research director Eric Woods. “In some
utilities, the CIO is driving the planning process to achieve an
architectural view of IT and OT,” Woods adds. “Others
are allowing operational teams to take the lead in defining
requirements, with the IT organization adopting the system provider
role. However, most utilities are focused on defining the new
functions and processes required for smart grids, finding ways to
work together to achieve this and worrying later about
organizational structures.”
The total smart grid software and related IT services market
will reach $4.3 billion by the end of 2012, the study finds, and
grow to over $8.6 billion by 2017. North America is leading the
initial market in many smart grid IT innovations, but the European
and Asia Pacific markets will become more significant over the next
five years. Europe’s drive toward its 20-20-20
carbon-reduction targets is focusing innovation on the issues
around renewable integration, energy efficiency, and energy
security. In Asia Pacific, the scale of Chinese investments in grid
infrastructure is yet to be matched by an impact on the IT market,
but China will become a more active player in the market in coming
years, according to the report.
The report, “Smart Grid IT Systems,” examines the
state of smart grid IT and provides a model for understanding how
smart grid IT is evolving. The report analyzes the relationship
between key elements of the smart grid IT landscape, including MDM,
CIS, DMS and data analytics and looks at application areas such as
outage management and asset management. Market forecasts for smart
grid software and related services, segmented by application and
world region, are provided through 2017 and key industry players
are profiled in depth. An Executive Summary of the report is
available for free download on the Pike Research website.
© 2012 Penton Media
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