White Papers

Using Service-Oriented Architecture to Transform Utilities

by Chris Trayhorn, Publisher of mThink Blue Book on May 15, 2006

Since the 1970s, utility companies have grown principally through mergers and acquisitions. This industry consolidation has resulted in organizations with diverse business processes (e.g., customer care, outage management, … Read Article

Survival Skills for Utility Mergers

by Chris Trayhorn, Publisher of mThink Blue Book on May 15, 2006

The recent surge in merger, acquisition and divestiture activity in the U.S. utilities industry has come as no surprise to leaders in the industry who have long anticipated … Read Article

Examining Business Process Outsourcing

by Chris Trayhorn, Publisher of mThink Blue Book on May 15, 2006

What does next-level utility performance look like? The energy industry may be one of the most complex business environments, as it is capital-intensive, regulatory-constrained, ROI-managed, environmentally challenged, often … Read Article

Shifting Regulatory Oversight of Utility Mergers

by Chris Trayhorn, Publisher of mThink Blue Book on May 15, 2006

Many in the energy industry are anticipating a wave of mergers that will fundamentally alter and concentrate the energy industry, both from utility consolidation and mergers between utilities … Read Article

The Energy Policy Act of 2005

by Chris Trayhorn, Publisher of mThink Blue Book on May 15, 2006

On August 8, 2005, President George W. Bush signed the Energy Policy Act of 2005 into law, following four long years of congressional debates, negotiations and revisions. The … Read Article

Fusion of Work Management and Supply Chain Management

by Chris Trayhorn, Publisher of mThink Blue Book on May 15, 2006

Asset life cycle management is an asset management strategy designed to manage the cradle-to-grave life cycle of key assets, considering all classes, stakeholders and life cycle stages, in … Read Article

Using the Sarbanes-Oxley Act

by mThink on May 23, 2005

Who would have predicted that significant help in managing operational risks would come from such an unlikely source: Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act? But, by voluntarily extending … Read Article

Pollutants, Resources and Nanotechnology

by mThink on May 23, 2005

The embryonic field of nanotechnology, which has been receiving much attention of late, aspires to the control of matter at molecular and near-molecular scales, in emulation of the … Read Article

Asset Management: Practical Path to Success

by mThink on May 23, 2005

The term asset management has taken center stage for most utility transmission and distribution, primarily because of cost pressures resulting from limited capital and O&M funds, and customer/regulatory … Read Article

Service Delivery Management

by mThink on May 23, 2005

Organizations today are challenged with simultaneously improving performance and lowering costs. Many are discovering that the key lies in “reinventing service” by adopting a service delivery management (SDM) … Read Article

Collections Best Practice

by mThink on May 23, 2005

Utility bad debt is increasing year-on-year according to market research group Chartwell in its 2004 report, Credit and Collections in the Utility Industry. Chartwell estimates that more than … Read Article

Electric Generation Capacity: What, Where and Who

by mThink on May 23, 2005

The principal driver of energy consumption and demand growth in the United States is increased population. The nation’s population is growing at a rate of approximately 1 percent … Read Article

Defining Customer Valuation

by mThink on May 23, 2005

Most utilities view their interactions with customers – mainly monthly billing and payment – as highly routine, with neither party giving a second thought to the value at … Read Article

The Hydrogen Economy

by mThink on May 23, 2005

The expression “hydrogen economy” is appearing more and more frequently in the headlines and on the bookstands. As recently as February 2005 the governor of Florida unveiled his … Read Article

Goodbye AMR, Hello AMM

by mThink on May 23, 2005

Not long ago, the decision to pursue an automated meter reading (AMR) project was straightforward to describe and quantify. The business case was essentially one of justifying the … Read Article

On Better Business Intelligence

by mThink on May 23, 2005

Utilities are working hard to address new financial control and reporting requirements, making progress on significant cost reduction and revenue enhancement initiatives and improving the management of financial … Read Article

Exploiting Broadband Over Power Lines

by mThink on May 23, 2005

Broadband over power lines (BPL) and power line communications (PLC) are sets of equipment, software and management services that when overlaid on the electric grid provide users with … Read Article

Q&A: Meter Reading – Past and Future

by mThink on May 23, 2005

Q: In 1997, as Puget Sound Power and Light, you merged with Washington Natural Gas and became Puget Sound Energy. Was it then that automated meter reading made … Read Article
1 2 3 4 7 8 9 10 11 16 17 18 19