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• Cognizant 20-20 Insights




Building a Thriving and Extended
Utilities Value Chain
To transform from commodity power suppliers to innovative service
providers, utilities must lead an emerging ecosystem that facilitates
revenue decoupling, renewable energy and energy efficiency
portfolio standards.

      Executive Summary                                   Meeting these demands and turning these
                                                          challenges into opportunities requires a complete
      The U.S. electric power sector stands at a
                                                          transformation of the traditional electric utility
      crossroads, as numerous factors, both internal
                                                          business model. So while delivering safe and
      and external, challenge the traditional operating
                                                          reliable electricity will always form the bedrock of
      model. The utilities industry has remained
                                                          operations, the modern utility must now expand
      unchanged for years, and for good reason:
                                                          its vision and adapt to changing circumstances
      Business has remained extremely stable, predict-
                                                          to deliver energy sustainably to customers and
      able and insulated from most external macro-
                                                          generate value for shareholders.
      economic events. Today, however, utilities face
      an array of challenges and opportunities amid
                                                          Traditional Business Imperatives
      a rapidly evolving information- and technology-
      driven environment. New approaches to serving       Traditionally, the utilities business model has
      customers by using less energy, cleaner energy      revolved around the following four pillars (see
      and emerging technologies are taking hold, and      Figure 1, next page).
      at the same time, tried-and-true business-as-       •	 Grid  security and service reliability: An
      usual approaches have become more expensive,          electric grid has often been described as the
      complicated and risky.                                world’s largest machine. Utilities perform the
                                                            gargantuan task of managing this complex
      The challenges are unprecedented. The tradi-          system every second of the day.
      tional goals of safety, efficiency and reliabil-
      ity have become even more important to attain,      •	 Customer  service: Serving customers is the
      even while new global environmental issues arise,     foundation of the business, and in this heavily
      including climate change and national security        regulated industry, managing high levels of
      concerns regarding foreign energy dependence.         customer service is a tough task.
      Meanwhile, future-thinking utilities must also      •	 Environmental      responsibility: With 50% of
      support a growing desire by customers to have         the nation’s electricity needs still relying on
      greater control over their energy use to reduce       coal as fuel, utilities have a major role to play in
      costs and decrease their environmental impact.        the environmental discussion.




      cognizant 20-20 insights | march 2013
Utilities’ Traditional                                                                                      the U.S., responsible for approximately 40% of
                                                                                                            total emissions (see Figure 2).1
Business Imperatives
                                                                                                        •	 Projected     growth in electricity needs.
                                                                                                            Demand for electricity is projected to grow




                                                                            Demand Response
                                                                                                            by about 30% in 2035 over 2005 levels.2
                       Reliability/Security
                                                                                                            Most states in the U.S. support climate/clean
                                                                                                            energy policies, and federal action is likely in
                                                                                                            the near term that will further increase restric-
                                                                                                            tions on fossil-fuel-based electricity generation
                                                                                                            (see Figure 3, next page). Japan’s March 2011
                                                       Customer
                       Managing Investments




                                                      Satisfaction                                          nuclear catastrophe raises further questions
                                                                                                            about the viability of nuclear generation as a
                                                                                                            sustainable clean generation source. Today’s
                                                                                                            utilities face significant challenges, from
                                                                                                            reducing dependency on fossil fuel and severely
                                                               Environmental                                constrained capital expenditures, through
                                                               Responsibility
                                                                                                            heightened security requirements. This means
                                                                                                            relying on technology to optimize operations
                                                                                                            (such as the smart grid) and increasing col-
Figure 1                                                                                                    laboration with fellow utilities and technology
                                                                                                            providers to identify and develop alternative
•	 Managing    investments: Utilities are among                                                             viable energy sources.
   the most asset-intensive of all businesses,
   making it critical to maintain asset availabil-
                                                                                                        •	 Continued   declines in production costs for
                                                                                                            renewable energy technologies.
   ity, increase asset productivity and enable a
   stronger return on investment.                                                                       •	 Growing    support and uptake of regulatory
                                                                                                            policies to allow utilities to utilize large-scale
Several significant and persistent trends are influ-                                                        energy efficiency as the lowest-cost energy
encing and challenging the traditional utilities                                                            resource.
business model. Some of the most prominent
ones include:                                                                                           •	 Implementation      of smart grid technologies
                                                                                                            that offer utilities and their customers the
•	 The  imperative to reduce greenhouse gas                                                                 information and tools to better manage elec-
   (GHG) emissions upwards of 80% by 2050.                                                                  tricity usage.
   The electric power sector is the largest single
   source of global carbon dioxide emissions in
                                                                                                        •	 Growing interest and activity in the develop-
                                                                                                            ment of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs).


Assumed Economy-wide CO2 Reduction Target

                                                Historical
                                                emissions
                       7
                                                              2005 = 5,982 mmT CO2
                       6
                                                                           2012 = 3% below 2005
                                                                           (5,803 mmT CO2)
                       5
                                                                                              2020 = 17% below 2005
    Billion tons CO2




                                                                                              (4,965 mmT CO2)
                       4
                                               Remainder
                                                 of U.S.
                                                Economy                                                     2030 = 42% below 2005
                       3                                                                                    (3,470 mmT CO2)


                       2

                                              U.S. Electric                                                                         2050 = 83% below 2005
                       1                         Sector                                                                             (1,017 mmT CO2)

                       0
                            1990                     2000       2010        2020                 2030          2040        2050


Figure 2



                                                                                                        2
                               80% CO2 reduction by 2050
•	 Increasing recognition of domestic natural                                             Traditionally, utilities have tended to develop
  gas as a resource that is less carbon intensive                                         business-technology capabilities in-house. Con-
  than other fossil fuels for large-scale electric-                                       sidering today’s uncertain economy and the vast
  ity generation, complementary to renewable                                              challenges they face, utilities need to rethink
  energy resources and domestically abundant.                                             their core operating assumptions. Given the con-
                                                                                          siderable capital and skills requirements needed
A utility that deals effectively with these trends
                                                                                          to modernize their business,
will be better positioned to succeed in both the
                                                                                          utilities need to question the Solving these
short and long terms. Further, such a utility is also
                                                                                          viability of relying solely on
more likely to provide better value to its customers
                                                                                          in-house capabilities to build
                                                                                                                            challenges will require
                                                                                          all the new required capa- close collaboration
and earn stronger returns for investors.

The far-reaching impact of these issues makes                                             bilities vs. leveraging external among customers,
                                                                                          skill sets that are proprietary
them more than just a utilities-only problem;
                                                                                          in nature. Finding the best
                                                                                                                            technologists,
solving these challenges will require close collabo-
ration among customers, technologists, research-                                          solution will be a delicate bal- researchers and
ers and academia, as well as supportive regulatory                                        ancing act.                       academia, as well as
policies that facilitate revenue decoupling,
                                                                                          Before delving into under-                 supportive regulatory
renewable energy and energy efficiency portfolio
standards. The need exists for an ecosystem — an
                                                                                          standing the solution, it is               policies that facilitate
extended value chain — in which all stakehold-
                                                                                          important to understand some
                                                                                                                                     revenue decoupling,
                                                                                          of the structural changes
ers can thrive. Such an ecosystem will further
                                                                                          happening in the industry                  renewable energy
support the ongoing transformation of utilities
from simple, regimented, centralized brokers of
                                                                                          that flow directly from the                and energy efficiency
commodity electric power to complex, diversified,
                                                                                          creation of an extended value
                                                                                                                                     portfolio standards.
                                                                                          chain.
innovative service providers equipped to face the
future.                                                                                   The Extended Value Chain
This necessary transformation brings into focus                                           As a form of energy, electricity offers diverse
the important consideration of how utilities can                                          uses and has thus spawned numerous specialty
create an ecosystem that optimizes expenditures,                                          industry sectors, with far-reaching downstream
leverages the best skills and technologies and                                            impacts (i.e., GHG emissions). As a result,
enables the realization of key business impera-                                           extracting efficiency from the energy value chain
tives.                                                                                    now requires a holistic strategy that connects
                                                                                          downstream and upstream sub-functions. Several




Electricity Demand Projection


                                6,000


                                5,000
       Billion kilowatt hours




                                4,000


                                3,000


                                2,000


                                1,000


                                   0
                                        1970   1975   1980   1985   1990    1995   2000   2005   2010   2015   2020   2025   2030   2035
                                                               Historical                                      Projected*

                                        * Electricity demand projections based on expected growth between 2006 and 2035


Figure 3



                                               cognizant 20-20 insights                   3
Utilities Extended Value Chain

                                   Utilities Value Chain                                              Extended Value Chain

                                       Energy Control Center                                           EV and Transportation




                                                                                         Upstream
                                                                                                           Infrastructure
                                                               Interconnection
                                                                                                        Energy Management,
                                                                                                        Demand Curtailment
                  Power Plant/
                   Substation                                         Power Plant/                      Carbon Cap & Trade
                                                                       Substation

                 Interconnection                                                                          Energy Storage




                                                                                         Downstream
                                            Distribution                                                   Distributed
                                              System                                                       Generation

                                                                                                            Clean Tech
                 Distribution System                             Distribution System




                                                                 Smart Grid


Figure 4




specialized business sectors are expanding the                             •	 Reliability: An increase in the reliability of the
ability and purpose of the traditional value chain,                              electrical system through automatic outage
such as:                                                                         notification, accelerated service restoration
                                                                                 and improved grid asset management.
•	 Electronvolt (EV) and transportation infra-
  structure: EV, battery switch, charging                                  •	 Environmental         benefits: Reduced emissions
  technology and other EV transportation infra-                                  through enhanced grid efficiency and less need
  structure providers.                                                           to build new generation, transmission and dis-
                                                                                 tribution facilities through increased system
•	 Energy management and demand curtail-
                                                                                 load factor and reduced peak demand.
  ment: Demand-side management (DSM) and
  load management solutions.                                               •	 Energy     information marketplace: Increased
                                                                                 commercial benefits by encouraging the devel-
•	 Carbon cap and trade: Exchanges, traders, etc.                                opment of a new energy information market-
•	 Energy storage: Battery, flow battery, CAES,                                  place that will provide the tools and services
  flywheel, ultra capacitors.3                                                   that consumers need to understand and
•	 Distributed generation: Individually owned                                    manage their energy use.
  generation and grid integrators.
                                                                           Structural Changes Enabling the
•	 Clean tech: Solar, bio fuels, fuel cells.                               Extended Value Chain
Thus, the traditional value chain with upstream                            It has never been more dire for our society to
and downstream functions makes the extended                                focus on extracting as much efficiency as possible
value chain a reality (see Figure 4).                                      from existing electricity infrastructure invest-
                                                                           ments. For most utilities, this means increasing
The smart grid has a key role to play as a value-
                                                                           efficiency in generation, on the grid and also
chain integrator in the extended value chain. The
                                                                           at the end-user level, while addressing the
likely benefits of extended value chain integration
                                                                           challenges posed by these mandates. To remain
include:
                                                                           competitive, utilities must respond to the risks
•	 Granular   consumption data: More efficient                             and opportunities presented by diverse and often
  real-time energy management through the                                  conflicting objectives, such as the need to address
  smart grid, as well as the development and                               climate change, carbon costs, fuel price volatility,
  use of more energy-efficient appliances, thus                            emerging clean technologies, energy efficiency
  reducing peak energy usage by moving less                                programs, customer expectations and competing
  critical activities to non-peak times.                                   third-party energy providers. Responding to




                            cognizant 20-20 insights                        4
Traditional vs. Forward-Thinking Utilities

                                                                                   Utility That Recognizes the
                 Factor               Traditional Utility
                                                                                      Extended Value Chain
                           Simple, based on steadily increasing elec-     Complex, integrated energy services serving
                Business   tricity sales, typically from an expanding     diverse and evolving customer needs with an
                 Model     asset base of centralized generation and       information-enabled infrastructure.
                           traditional delivery infrastructure.*

                Services   Regimented commodized services.                Diversified, innovative service provider.

                           Increasing.                                    Flattening (on a normalized base) with
         Electricity
                                                                          a potential decline, exception being the
          Demand                                                          deployment of new electric vehicles.**

                Capacity   Average cost of new capacity stable or         Average cost of new capacity increasing. ***
                  Cost     declining.

           Utility         Reliability, customer service, affordability   Reliability, environmental quality, service quality,
         Objectives        (low rates), returns to shareholders.****      affordability (low bills), returns to shareholders.

                           Passive                                        Active, equipped with technology and incentives
           Role of
                                                                          to manage energy consumption and generate
          Consumer                                                        energy.

* Although new technologies have been introduced, long equipment lifecycles, standardization and aversion to risk have tended to
  limit the implementation of innovative transmission and distribution system technology.
** New energy services, such as powering electric vehicles, may increase demand, but the net impact is currently unclear.
*** The cost of new capacity will be partially offset as low carbon-generating resources become commercially mature.
**** Investor-owned utilities, in addition to managing costs, have the goal of earning market-based returns for shareholders, while
     publicly owned utilities have the goal of minimizing cost for members.

Figure 5




                                                                      these challenges will require new core competen-
Investments in Green Technologies                                     cies and a remake of the industry’s value chain.

                                                                      As stated previously, utilities cannot do this all
            10,000                                                    alone. To succeed, they need to recognize and
                                                                      manage the emerging extended value chain.
                9,000
                                                                      Figure 5 depicts how a utility that recognizes the
                8,000                                                 extended value chain will differ from one that
                7,000
                                                                      does not.
 Millions ($)




                6,000                                                 Thus, successful utilities will continue to own
                5,000
                                                                      customers and their consumption, while new
                                                                      services and products will enable them to effi-
                4,000
                                                                      ciently serve customers by successfully evolving
                3,000                                                 and integrating new business capabilities into the
                                                                      extended value chain. This will create a single-
                2,000
                                                                      channel delivery mechanism for all customer
                1,000                                                 needs.4
         0
 Year       2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008                   The Skill Set/Specialization Landscape
 Investment                                                           The urgency of the challenges facing the utilities
 ($M)       $714 $899 $1,700 $1,800 $2,500 $3,600 $5,180 $10,000
                                                                      industry has resulted in increased attention
                                                                      from investors and the research community (see
Figure 6                                                              Figure 6). A tremendous amount of investment




                                cognizant 20-20 insights              5
The Evolving Energy Specialization Industry

     •	 EnerNOC: Software and services facilitate             •	 GE Lighting’s ESCO: Energy services program.
       reduced demand and act as an intermediary
       between customers and utilities.
                                                              •	 Earth Aid: Home energy management.
                                                              •	 Better Place: Transportation infrastructure,
     •	 Comverge: DSM software.                                   battery switch stations.
     •	 Opower: SaaS company that licenses its                •	 Energy Curtailment Specialists, Inc.: Energy
       software to utilities, creating reports on energy          curtailment.
       consumption analysis, with recommendations
       that customers can use to lower consumption            •	 ConsumerPowerLine: Energy management, DSM.
       Partners with Honeywell.                               •	 EnergyHub: Home energy management, SaaS
                                                                  platform.
     •	 Tendril: Energy management technology
       provider, similar to EnerNOC.                          •	 Ecobee: Wi-Fi-enabled programmable thermo-
                                                                  stats.
     •	 Coulomb Technologies: Charging station
       provider; has partnered with Ford Motor Co.


Figure 7



and cutting-edge research has resulted in the                 Regulatory Changes Amid the New
rapid development of upstream and downstream                  Specialization Landscape
technology specializations (see Figure 7).                    The regulatory environment may not be able
                                                              to support the emerging extended value chain;
Investments from outside the traditional
                                                              however, it is widely anticipated that regula-
utilities sector are pivoting around how energy
                                                              tions will evolve as the industry changes and
is generated, transmitted and consumed —
                                                              will encourage energy independence, renewable
something that any utility can make extensive
                                                              energy and energy efficiency. These policies,
use of.
                                                              which fall within the purview of state governments
Figure 8 provides an overview of the specializa-              and utility regulatory commissions, include:
tion landscape that is emerging in the extended               •	 Clean energy policies: Set an overall direction
industry value chain. This is expected to evolve                  to align clean energy goals across different
and mature as additional research is conducted                    government agencies, state and federal
and investments are made.                                         regulators and public service commissions and




Utilities Industry Expansion
   Extended Value Chain
                                                           Specialization Landscape
        Elements

     Electric Vehicles        Electric      Battery                Charging        EV                 Hazardous
    and Transportation        Vehicles      Technology             Technology      Transportation     Waste
      Infrastructure                                                               Infrastructure     Management

  Energy Management and       Energy        Home Energy            Load            Load Curtailment
    Demand Curtailment        Efficiency    Management             Management      Programs

      Energy Storage          Battery       Capacitor

                                            Individually
                                            Owned
   Distributed Generation
                                            Generation Grid
                                            Integrators

           Clean Tech         Solar         Fuel Cells             Bio Fuels

                                                                   Smart Grid

Figure 8



                         cognizant 20-20 insights             6
drive changes that increase commitment to             •	 Discovery:     In this stage, the ecosystem’s
  clean energy resources.                                   strategic intent is defined. After understanding
                                                            the need, a situational analysis of the organi-
•	 Renewable    portfolio standards: Incentiv-
                                                            zation’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities
  ize compliance both at the consumption and
                                                            and threats (SWOT analysis) is conducted,
  generation stages and reward those parties
                                                            and critical industry issues are raised. Finally,
  that deliver results.
                                                            an external analysis — an assessment of the
•	 Revenue  decoupling: Create an innovative                evolution of the extended value chain — is
  policy framework that removes utilities’                  undertaken, noting that the ecosystem will
  inherent disincentive for implementing large-             evolve over time. This will give the utility an
  scale energy efficiency frameworks.                       idea of the role and the degree of influence it
•	 Effectivenet metering: Promote and incen-                has in creating the ecosystem.
  tivize distributed generation to facilitate               Any gap that exists between a utility’s strategic
  consumer investment in on-site renewable                  intent, the strengths revealed through the
  energy generation.                                        SWOT analysis and the capabilities to be
•	 Incentive rate-making: Encourage long-term               built into the extended value chain can be
  “right” investments by making provisions for              evaluated on the basis of the utility’s ability to
  premium returns.                                          deliver against these goals and its impact on
                                                            the business. Additional aspects to consider
•	 Carbon  footprint policies: Set policies that
                                                            include:
  incentivize customers and utilities to reduce
  their carbon footprints.
                                                            >> Developing  an ecosystem hierarchy, in-
                                                               cluding creation of categories, roles and
A Strategic Framework for Assessing                            protocols.
the Extended Value Chain
How can a utility successfully build an ecosystem           >> Defining the extended value chain com-
                                                               ponents that must be considered as a part
that uses the best industry elements? An
                                                               of the utility’s business.
integrated utility is in the best position to nurture
this ecosystem and mentor partners to provide               >> Defining    the relative importance of the
the highest levels of customer service. For this               new extended value chain components to
to happen, key questions must be considered,                   the utility’s business.
including:
                                                        •	 Formulation:      This stage involves the
•	 How can utilities design/build this ecosystem            production of a clear set of recommenda-
  and weave it into their business strategy?                tions, with supporting justification and supply
•	 How   can they monetize their considerable               strategies for accomplishing them. These
  investment to make this ecosystem possible?               findings lead into the prism assessment (see
  (Utilities’ investments in the extended                   Figure 9, next page).
  value chain are said to exceed that of other
  members.) Regulators will play a defining role,           The prism helps utilities assess their unique
  without question.                                         capabilities, such as “ability to deliver,” which
                                                            is the ability to deliver extended value chain
•	 How does the ecosystem create standards and              benefits. It also ranks external extended value
  policies (with support of regulators) that enable         chain members in categories such as “partici-
  its members to operate without conflicts?                 pate, guide and mentor” in relation to utilities’
•	 How can utilities ensure these efforts result in         capabilities. This framework serves as a
  value to stakeholders?                                    guideline for defining the in-house capabilities
                                                            to be built, areas for collaboration and capabili-
•	 How can utilities develop strong internal capa-          ties that are core to the utility’s business and
  bilities, while leveraging the key capabilities of
  extended value chain members to maximize                  should stay in-house.
  value to stakeholders?                                •	 Implementation:   This stage is based on the
                                                            amount of “autonomy” a utility wants to build
We have developed an extended value chain
                                                            into the ecosystem. Accordingly, there are
framework that distills ecosystem development
                                                            three approaches that can be followed.
into a three-stage activity, comprising discovery,
formulation and implementation phases.



                        cognizant 20-20 insights        7
Extended Value Chain Prism Model

                                                                                                                                                   St
                                                                                                                                                        ra
                                                                                                                                                          te




                                             Ecosystem Member Involvement
                                                                                                                                                             gi
                                                                                                                                                               c
                                                                                                                                                                   In
                                                                                                                                                                     te
                                                                                         Mentor                                                                         nt




                       Ecosystem Hierarchy
                                                                                         Guide




                                                                                    Participant



                                                                    n*          ples                                                                                                                Low
                                                            &
                                                        EV ortatio           xam
                                                                            e*
                                                               as e     rag
                                  ent
                                      ed                nsp         Sto            Tra                                                                                                     eliver
                       s                                        rgy
                  *Pre                     Ext              Ene               SM*                                                                                                     to D
                                     Str        end                       &D                                                                                                   lity
                 Low
                                         ate
                                             gic
                                                    ed
                                                        V              EM              ted
                                                                                   ribu n*
                                                                                                                                                                            Abi
                                                 Imp alue                      Dist eratio                                                          h                     ncie
                                                                                                                                                                               s
                                              Op ort           Cha             Gen                *                                             Hi g              pet
                                                                                                                                                                        e
                                                  era an                                      ech
                                                     tion ce t in Ele                    an T                                                      eC
                                                                                                                                                             om
                                                          s      o         me        Cle           Bus          nts                             Cor
                                                                                                        ine
                                                                                                           ss
                                                                                                 Hig                  Technology    Services
                                                                                                    h
                                                                                                                          Thought Solution


Figure 9



Approach 1: Here, a utility creates an open                                                                                             anyone with an idea can be a part of the
playground for collaboration and innovation                                                                                             ecosystem, comply with the legal and commercial
among technology, solution and service providers                                                                                        framework, partner with the ecosystem members
by extending access to its data within a legal and                                                                                      and build an industry-leading solution.
mutually acceptable commercial framework (see
Figure 10). The most important aspect of this                                                                                           There are several positive upsides to such an
ecosystem is controlled and restricted access                                                                                           ecosystem:
to data and the safeguarding of the utility’s                                                                                           •	 It      offers high incentives for stakeholders,
privacy concerns and business interests. There                                                                                                 utilities and customers.
are regulatory challenges and privacy concerns
regarding access to customer consumption data.5                                                                                         •	 The utility maintains control over and governs
                                                                                                                                               the ecosystem.
It is important to build “openness” into the                                                                                            •	 Potential exists for large-scale innovation.
ecosystem that fosters innovation. This means
                                                                                                                                        •	 The utility remains on the front end.

Approach 1: Open Innovation


                                                                                                                                 Customer

                                                                                                                                                                                                External Stakeholders
                       Utility                                                                                           Customer Interaction Channels
                                                                                                                                                                                                            Alternate
                   Internet/Paging
                     Network/RF                                                                                                                                                                           Energy Sources


                                                                                                                            Access to infrastructure
                                                                                                                                                                                                              EVs &
                                                                                                                                                                                                          Transportation
       Smart                                                                                                                                                                  Makes
       Utility                                                                       Utility                                  Consumption data                                                            Infrastructure
                                                                                                         Makes                                                               available
       Meter                                                                                                                                                                 solutions
                                                                               In-Home                  available                  Grid data
                                                                                Display                   data                                                                  and
                                                                                                                               Generation data                               services
                                                                               Thermostat
                                                                                                                                                                                                           Fuel Storage
        Load                                                                                                                 Legal Framework
       Control
       Modules                                                                                                           Commercial Framework
                                                                                                                                                                                                             Energy
                                                                                                                                                                                                           Management
                                                                                                                          Utility Interaction Channels




Figure 10



                                                                            cognizant 20-20 insights                                     8
Approach 2: Consortium Method


                                                                       Customer

                                                                                                           External Stakeholders
                     Utility                                   Customer Interaction Channels

                   Internet/Paging                                                                                    Alternate
                     Network/RF                                                                                     Energy Sources

                                                                  Solution 1    Solution 2
                                                                                                                        EVs &
                                                                  Solution 3    Solution 4                          Transportation
         Smart
         Utility                         Utility                                                                    Infrastructure
                                                                    Utility or a utilities      Makes
         Meter                                      Makes
                                                                      services partner
                                     In-Home       available                                   available
                                                                  collaborates to develop
                                      Display      guidance       best-of-breed solutions      expertise
                                     Thermostat                         and services.
          Load                                                                                                       Fuel Storage
         Control                                                   Legal Framework
         Modules
                                                               Commercial Framework
                                                                                                                       Energy
                                                                                                                     Management
                                                                Utility Interaction Channels




Figure 11


Innovations likely to emerge from this ecosystem                               approach followed by many industries for risk
include:                                                                       mitigation when pursuing unchartered waters.

•	 A charging station service provider can design                              The salient features of this ecosystem include:
  locations, rates, etc., based on load, grid
  topography, etc.                                                             •	 Limited to no data access.
•	 Customers   can receive consumption alerts                                  •	 Utility involvement and       investments; the
  and notifications from a third-party (within the                                 responsibility  for    formulating    problem
  defined customer interaction framework).                                         statements rests with the utility.
•	 Customers    can receive tailor-made solutions                              •	 Fewer    opportunities for         innovation      and
  and services for functions such as energy                                        incentives for participants.
  efficiency, load control.
                                                                               •	 Similarities  with existing one-to-one utility
•	 Common   interface and standards can be                                         relationships/partnerships except that this
  developed for interactions between EVs,                                          model offers a common commercial and legal
  appliances and the utility.                                                      framework, expanding the opportunity for
                                                                                   partners to co-innovate and collaborate for
•	 Innovations can be developed, such as appliances                                mutual benefit.
  that can communicate with the utility and the
  customer to determine the optimal timing for                                 Innovations likely to come out of this ecosystem
  usage (such as a dryer, pool heater, etc.).                                  include:
•	 For  functions such as energy management,
                                                                               •	 Utilities can certify and recommend a certain
  customers can choose from multiple vendors
                                                                                   brand/type of LED lights, solar panels, charging
  (ie, Google or Cisco), while utilities can use the
                                                                                   stations, etc.
  tools they need to collect and manage data
  from the smart grid (à la iTunes).                                           •	 Utilities can leverage a proprietary algorithm
                                                                                   of an energy efficiency solution provider to
Approach 2: This method is similar to Approach 1                                   deliver their DSM programs.
but with a lot less openness (see Figure 11). In fact,
Approach 2 is recommended when security and                                    •	 Utilities   can collaborate to develop and
                                                                                   co-brand charging stations, battery switch
privacy issues are insurmountable. This approach
                                                                                   stations, etc.
allows for point-to-point interactions between the
utility and ecosystem members. The additional                                  •	 Utilities  can collaborate with distributed
layer of controls and governance constrains                                        generation infrastructure providers and
co-innovation and supports fewer ecosystem                                         integrate their grid and back-end systems.
members. This may resemble the consortium



                               cognizant 20-20 insights                        9
Approach 3: Point-to-Point Collaboration


                                                                        Customer

                                                                                                             External Stakeholders
                      Utility                                   Customer Interaction Channels
                                                                                                                        Alternate
                    Internet/Paging
                      Network/RF                                                                                      Energy Sources
                                                                   Legal Framework
                                                                                                                          EVs &
                                                                         Solution 1
          Smart                                                                                                       Transportation
          Utility                         Utility                        Solution 2                                   Infrastructure
          Meter                                      Makes                                        Makes
                                      In-Home       available            Solution 3              available
                                       Display      guidance                                     expertise
                                                                         Solution 4
          Load                        Thermostat
                                                                                                                       Fuel Storage
         Control
         Modules
                                                                Commercial Framework
                                                                                                                         Energy
                                                                                                                       Management
                                                                 Utility Interaction Channels




Figure 12



Approach 3: In this approach, the utility attempts                            •	 Typically, the utility builds on its strengths and
to enhance and fine-tune its strategic procure-                                       capabilities core to the business and collabo-
ment process to fit the extended value chain (see                                     rates with external stakeholders for the rest.
Figure 12). This approach is recommended when
there are legal and/or commercial challenges to
                                                                              •	 Utilities may compete with external stakehold-
                                                                                      ers for specific functions.
building a multi-party ecosystem. Here, a utility
builds a narrow consortium of (typically indus-                               •	 Opportunities        for innovation and incentives
try-leading) technology, solution and service                                         exist for fewer participants.
providers. It collaborates individually, with or
without other partners being involved. This sig-
                                                                              Looking Ahead
nificantly reduces innovation and solely relies on                            The extended value chain concept needs to be
individual collaboration to boost the ecosystem.                              woven into a utility’s strategy. To reach unprec-
                                                                              edented vistas of operational innovation, utilities
Salient features of this ecosystem include:                                   must find the right level of partner collaboration
                                                                              with stakeholders whose interests and capabili-
•	 Access to data and utility problem statements                              ties are properly aligned. This wave of innovation
     may not be available to ecosystem members.                               stands to deliver on all macro-economic expecta-
•	 Involvement and investments from the utility                               tions and, most importantly, generate superior
     are significantly higher.                                                value to customers and investors.




Footnotes
1	
     “The Power to Reduce CO2 Emissions,” Electric Power Research Institute, 2009.
2	
     “Energy Information Administration, Annual Energy Review and Energy Outlook,” U.S. Department of
     Energy, 2010.
3	
     Sandia National Laboratories, http://www.sandia.gov/ess/project_map/index.html.
4	
     Research from Cleantech Group.
5	
     Sherry Lichtenberg, Ph.D., “Smart Grid Data: Must There Be Conflict Between Energy Management and
     Consumer Privacy?” National Regulatory Research Institute, 2010, http://www.nrri.org/pubs/telecommu-
     nications/NRRI_smart_grid_privacy_dec10-17.pdf.



                                cognizant 20-20 insights                       10
About the Author
Sanju Nair is a Manager of Consulting, focusing on the power utilities sector within Cognizant Business
Consulting. He specializes in customer service, asset management and smart grid. Sanju has over 10
years of industry experience, including operation and maintenance of captive facilities and working
with various global leaders. His consulting experience includes designing multiple asset management
solutions for network and T&D assets, designing a strategic roadmap for smart grid integration and
revamping customer service processes. He can be reached at Sanju.nair2@cognizant.com.




About Cognizant
Cognizant (NASDAQ: CTSH) is a leading provider of information technology, consulting, and business process out-
sourcing services, dedicated to helping the world’s leading companies build stronger businesses. Headquartered in
Teaneck, New Jersey (U.S.), Cognizant combines a passion for client satisfaction, technology innovation, deep industry
and business process expertise, and a global, collaborative workforce that embodies the future of work. With over 50
delivery centers worldwide and approximately 156,700 employees as of December 31, 2012, Cognizant is a member of
the NASDAQ-100, the S&P 500, the Forbes Global 2000, and the Fortune 500 and is ranked among the top performing
and fastest growing companies in the world. Visit us online at www.cognizant.com or follow us on Twitter: Cognizant.



                                         World Headquarters                  European Headquarters                 India Operations Headquarters
                                         500 Frank W. Burr Blvd.             1 Kingdom Street                      #5/535, Old Mahabalipuram Road
                                         Teaneck, NJ 07666 USA               Paddington Central                    Okkiyam Pettai, Thoraipakkam
                                         Phone: +1 201 801 0233              London W2 6BD                         Chennai, 600 096 India
                                         Fax: +1 201 801 0243                Phone: +44 (0) 20 7297 7600           Phone: +91 (0) 44 4209 6000
                                         Toll Free: +1 888 937 3277          Fax: +44 (0) 20 7121 0102             Fax: +91 (0) 44 4209 6060
                                         Email: inquiry@cognizant.com        Email: infouk@cognizant.com           Email: inquiryindia@cognizant.com


©
­­ Copyright 2013, Cognizant. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the express written permission from Cognizant. The information contained herein is
subject to change without notice. All other trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.

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Building a Thriving and Extended Utilities Value Chain

  • 1. • Cognizant 20-20 Insights Building a Thriving and Extended Utilities Value Chain To transform from commodity power suppliers to innovative service providers, utilities must lead an emerging ecosystem that facilitates revenue decoupling, renewable energy and energy efficiency portfolio standards. Executive Summary Meeting these demands and turning these challenges into opportunities requires a complete The U.S. electric power sector stands at a transformation of the traditional electric utility crossroads, as numerous factors, both internal business model. So while delivering safe and and external, challenge the traditional operating reliable electricity will always form the bedrock of model. The utilities industry has remained operations, the modern utility must now expand unchanged for years, and for good reason: its vision and adapt to changing circumstances Business has remained extremely stable, predict- to deliver energy sustainably to customers and able and insulated from most external macro- generate value for shareholders. economic events. Today, however, utilities face an array of challenges and opportunities amid Traditional Business Imperatives a rapidly evolving information- and technology- driven environment. New approaches to serving Traditionally, the utilities business model has customers by using less energy, cleaner energy revolved around the following four pillars (see and emerging technologies are taking hold, and Figure 1, next page). at the same time, tried-and-true business-as- • Grid security and service reliability: An usual approaches have become more expensive, electric grid has often been described as the complicated and risky. world’s largest machine. Utilities perform the gargantuan task of managing this complex The challenges are unprecedented. The tradi- system every second of the day. tional goals of safety, efficiency and reliabil- ity have become even more important to attain, • Customer service: Serving customers is the even while new global environmental issues arise, foundation of the business, and in this heavily including climate change and national security regulated industry, managing high levels of concerns regarding foreign energy dependence. customer service is a tough task. Meanwhile, future-thinking utilities must also • Environmental responsibility: With 50% of support a growing desire by customers to have the nation’s electricity needs still relying on greater control over their energy use to reduce coal as fuel, utilities have a major role to play in costs and decrease their environmental impact. the environmental discussion. cognizant 20-20 insights | march 2013
  • 2. Utilities’ Traditional the U.S., responsible for approximately 40% of total emissions (see Figure 2).1 Business Imperatives • Projected growth in electricity needs. Demand for electricity is projected to grow Demand Response by about 30% in 2035 over 2005 levels.2 Reliability/Security Most states in the U.S. support climate/clean energy policies, and federal action is likely in the near term that will further increase restric- tions on fossil-fuel-based electricity generation (see Figure 3, next page). Japan’s March 2011 Customer Managing Investments Satisfaction nuclear catastrophe raises further questions about the viability of nuclear generation as a sustainable clean generation source. Today’s utilities face significant challenges, from reducing dependency on fossil fuel and severely Environmental constrained capital expenditures, through Responsibility heightened security requirements. This means relying on technology to optimize operations (such as the smart grid) and increasing col- Figure 1 laboration with fellow utilities and technology providers to identify and develop alternative • Managing investments: Utilities are among viable energy sources. the most asset-intensive of all businesses, making it critical to maintain asset availabil- • Continued declines in production costs for renewable energy technologies. ity, increase asset productivity and enable a stronger return on investment. • Growing support and uptake of regulatory policies to allow utilities to utilize large-scale Several significant and persistent trends are influ- energy efficiency as the lowest-cost energy encing and challenging the traditional utilities resource. business model. Some of the most prominent ones include: • Implementation of smart grid technologies that offer utilities and their customers the • The imperative to reduce greenhouse gas information and tools to better manage elec- (GHG) emissions upwards of 80% by 2050. tricity usage. The electric power sector is the largest single source of global carbon dioxide emissions in • Growing interest and activity in the develop- ment of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs). Assumed Economy-wide CO2 Reduction Target Historical emissions 7 2005 = 5,982 mmT CO2 6 2012 = 3% below 2005 (5,803 mmT CO2) 5 2020 = 17% below 2005 Billion tons CO2 (4,965 mmT CO2) 4 Remainder of U.S. Economy 2030 = 42% below 2005 3 (3,470 mmT CO2) 2 U.S. Electric 2050 = 83% below 2005 1 Sector (1,017 mmT CO2) 0 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050 Figure 2 2 80% CO2 reduction by 2050
  • 3. • Increasing recognition of domestic natural Traditionally, utilities have tended to develop gas as a resource that is less carbon intensive business-technology capabilities in-house. Con- than other fossil fuels for large-scale electric- sidering today’s uncertain economy and the vast ity generation, complementary to renewable challenges they face, utilities need to rethink energy resources and domestically abundant. their core operating assumptions. Given the con- siderable capital and skills requirements needed A utility that deals effectively with these trends to modernize their business, will be better positioned to succeed in both the utilities need to question the Solving these short and long terms. Further, such a utility is also viability of relying solely on more likely to provide better value to its customers in-house capabilities to build challenges will require all the new required capa- close collaboration and earn stronger returns for investors. The far-reaching impact of these issues makes bilities vs. leveraging external among customers, skill sets that are proprietary them more than just a utilities-only problem; in nature. Finding the best technologists, solving these challenges will require close collabo- ration among customers, technologists, research- solution will be a delicate bal- researchers and ers and academia, as well as supportive regulatory ancing act. academia, as well as policies that facilitate revenue decoupling, Before delving into under- supportive regulatory renewable energy and energy efficiency portfolio standards. The need exists for an ecosystem — an standing the solution, it is policies that facilitate extended value chain — in which all stakehold- important to understand some revenue decoupling, of the structural changes ers can thrive. Such an ecosystem will further happening in the industry renewable energy support the ongoing transformation of utilities from simple, regimented, centralized brokers of that flow directly from the and energy efficiency commodity electric power to complex, diversified, creation of an extended value portfolio standards. chain. innovative service providers equipped to face the future. The Extended Value Chain This necessary transformation brings into focus As a form of energy, electricity offers diverse the important consideration of how utilities can uses and has thus spawned numerous specialty create an ecosystem that optimizes expenditures, industry sectors, with far-reaching downstream leverages the best skills and technologies and impacts (i.e., GHG emissions). As a result, enables the realization of key business impera- extracting efficiency from the energy value chain tives. now requires a holistic strategy that connects downstream and upstream sub-functions. Several Electricity Demand Projection 6,000 5,000 Billion kilowatt hours 4,000 3,000 2,000 1,000 0 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 2035 Historical Projected* * Electricity demand projections based on expected growth between 2006 and 2035 Figure 3 cognizant 20-20 insights 3
  • 4. Utilities Extended Value Chain Utilities Value Chain Extended Value Chain Energy Control Center EV and Transportation Upstream Infrastructure Interconnection Energy Management, Demand Curtailment Power Plant/ Substation Power Plant/ Carbon Cap & Trade Substation Interconnection Energy Storage Downstream Distribution Distributed System Generation Clean Tech Distribution System Distribution System Smart Grid Figure 4 specialized business sectors are expanding the • Reliability: An increase in the reliability of the ability and purpose of the traditional value chain, electrical system through automatic outage such as: notification, accelerated service restoration and improved grid asset management. • Electronvolt (EV) and transportation infra- structure: EV, battery switch, charging • Environmental benefits: Reduced emissions technology and other EV transportation infra- through enhanced grid efficiency and less need structure providers. to build new generation, transmission and dis- tribution facilities through increased system • Energy management and demand curtail- load factor and reduced peak demand. ment: Demand-side management (DSM) and load management solutions. • Energy information marketplace: Increased commercial benefits by encouraging the devel- • Carbon cap and trade: Exchanges, traders, etc. opment of a new energy information market- • Energy storage: Battery, flow battery, CAES, place that will provide the tools and services flywheel, ultra capacitors.3 that consumers need to understand and • Distributed generation: Individually owned manage their energy use. generation and grid integrators. Structural Changes Enabling the • Clean tech: Solar, bio fuels, fuel cells. Extended Value Chain Thus, the traditional value chain with upstream It has never been more dire for our society to and downstream functions makes the extended focus on extracting as much efficiency as possible value chain a reality (see Figure 4). from existing electricity infrastructure invest- ments. For most utilities, this means increasing The smart grid has a key role to play as a value- efficiency in generation, on the grid and also chain integrator in the extended value chain. The at the end-user level, while addressing the likely benefits of extended value chain integration challenges posed by these mandates. To remain include: competitive, utilities must respond to the risks • Granular consumption data: More efficient and opportunities presented by diverse and often real-time energy management through the conflicting objectives, such as the need to address smart grid, as well as the development and climate change, carbon costs, fuel price volatility, use of more energy-efficient appliances, thus emerging clean technologies, energy efficiency reducing peak energy usage by moving less programs, customer expectations and competing critical activities to non-peak times. third-party energy providers. Responding to cognizant 20-20 insights 4
  • 5. Traditional vs. Forward-Thinking Utilities Utility That Recognizes the Factor Traditional Utility Extended Value Chain Simple, based on steadily increasing elec- Complex, integrated energy services serving Business tricity sales, typically from an expanding diverse and evolving customer needs with an Model asset base of centralized generation and information-enabled infrastructure. traditional delivery infrastructure.* Services Regimented commodized services. Diversified, innovative service provider. Increasing. Flattening (on a normalized base) with Electricity a potential decline, exception being the Demand deployment of new electric vehicles.** Capacity Average cost of new capacity stable or Average cost of new capacity increasing. *** Cost declining. Utility Reliability, customer service, affordability Reliability, environmental quality, service quality, Objectives (low rates), returns to shareholders.**** affordability (low bills), returns to shareholders. Passive Active, equipped with technology and incentives Role of to manage energy consumption and generate Consumer energy. * Although new technologies have been introduced, long equipment lifecycles, standardization and aversion to risk have tended to limit the implementation of innovative transmission and distribution system technology. ** New energy services, such as powering electric vehicles, may increase demand, but the net impact is currently unclear. *** The cost of new capacity will be partially offset as low carbon-generating resources become commercially mature. **** Investor-owned utilities, in addition to managing costs, have the goal of earning market-based returns for shareholders, while publicly owned utilities have the goal of minimizing cost for members. Figure 5 these challenges will require new core competen- Investments in Green Technologies cies and a remake of the industry’s value chain. As stated previously, utilities cannot do this all 10,000 alone. To succeed, they need to recognize and manage the emerging extended value chain. 9,000 Figure 5 depicts how a utility that recognizes the 8,000 extended value chain will differ from one that 7,000 does not. Millions ($) 6,000 Thus, successful utilities will continue to own 5,000 customers and their consumption, while new services and products will enable them to effi- 4,000 ciently serve customers by successfully evolving 3,000 and integrating new business capabilities into the extended value chain. This will create a single- 2,000 channel delivery mechanism for all customer 1,000 needs.4 0 Year 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 The Skill Set/Specialization Landscape Investment The urgency of the challenges facing the utilities ($M) $714 $899 $1,700 $1,800 $2,500 $3,600 $5,180 $10,000 industry has resulted in increased attention from investors and the research community (see Figure 6 Figure 6). A tremendous amount of investment cognizant 20-20 insights 5
  • 6. The Evolving Energy Specialization Industry • EnerNOC: Software and services facilitate • GE Lighting’s ESCO: Energy services program. reduced demand and act as an intermediary between customers and utilities. • Earth Aid: Home energy management. • Better Place: Transportation infrastructure, • Comverge: DSM software. battery switch stations. • Opower: SaaS company that licenses its • Energy Curtailment Specialists, Inc.: Energy software to utilities, creating reports on energy curtailment. consumption analysis, with recommendations that customers can use to lower consumption • ConsumerPowerLine: Energy management, DSM. Partners with Honeywell. • EnergyHub: Home energy management, SaaS platform. • Tendril: Energy management technology provider, similar to EnerNOC. • Ecobee: Wi-Fi-enabled programmable thermo- stats. • Coulomb Technologies: Charging station provider; has partnered with Ford Motor Co. Figure 7 and cutting-edge research has resulted in the Regulatory Changes Amid the New rapid development of upstream and downstream Specialization Landscape technology specializations (see Figure 7). The regulatory environment may not be able to support the emerging extended value chain; Investments from outside the traditional however, it is widely anticipated that regula- utilities sector are pivoting around how energy tions will evolve as the industry changes and is generated, transmitted and consumed — will encourage energy independence, renewable something that any utility can make extensive energy and energy efficiency. These policies, use of. which fall within the purview of state governments Figure 8 provides an overview of the specializa- and utility regulatory commissions, include: tion landscape that is emerging in the extended • Clean energy policies: Set an overall direction industry value chain. This is expected to evolve to align clean energy goals across different and mature as additional research is conducted government agencies, state and federal and investments are made. regulators and public service commissions and Utilities Industry Expansion Extended Value Chain Specialization Landscape Elements Electric Vehicles Electric Battery Charging EV Hazardous and Transportation Vehicles Technology Technology Transportation Waste Infrastructure Infrastructure Management Energy Management and Energy Home Energy Load Load Curtailment Demand Curtailment Efficiency Management Management Programs Energy Storage Battery Capacitor Individually Owned Distributed Generation Generation Grid Integrators Clean Tech Solar Fuel Cells Bio Fuels Smart Grid Figure 8 cognizant 20-20 insights 6
  • 7. drive changes that increase commitment to • Discovery: In this stage, the ecosystem’s clean energy resources. strategic intent is defined. After understanding the need, a situational analysis of the organi- • Renewable portfolio standards: Incentiv- zation’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities ize compliance both at the consumption and and threats (SWOT analysis) is conducted, generation stages and reward those parties and critical industry issues are raised. Finally, that deliver results. an external analysis — an assessment of the • Revenue decoupling: Create an innovative evolution of the extended value chain — is policy framework that removes utilities’ undertaken, noting that the ecosystem will inherent disincentive for implementing large- evolve over time. This will give the utility an scale energy efficiency frameworks. idea of the role and the degree of influence it • Effectivenet metering: Promote and incen- has in creating the ecosystem. tivize distributed generation to facilitate Any gap that exists between a utility’s strategic consumer investment in on-site renewable intent, the strengths revealed through the energy generation. SWOT analysis and the capabilities to be • Incentive rate-making: Encourage long-term built into the extended value chain can be “right” investments by making provisions for evaluated on the basis of the utility’s ability to premium returns. deliver against these goals and its impact on the business. Additional aspects to consider • Carbon footprint policies: Set policies that include: incentivize customers and utilities to reduce their carbon footprints. >> Developing an ecosystem hierarchy, in- cluding creation of categories, roles and A Strategic Framework for Assessing protocols. the Extended Value Chain How can a utility successfully build an ecosystem >> Defining the extended value chain com- ponents that must be considered as a part that uses the best industry elements? An of the utility’s business. integrated utility is in the best position to nurture this ecosystem and mentor partners to provide >> Defining the relative importance of the the highest levels of customer service. For this new extended value chain components to to happen, key questions must be considered, the utility’s business. including: • Formulation: This stage involves the • How can utilities design/build this ecosystem production of a clear set of recommenda- and weave it into their business strategy? tions, with supporting justification and supply • How can they monetize their considerable strategies for accomplishing them. These investment to make this ecosystem possible? findings lead into the prism assessment (see (Utilities’ investments in the extended Figure 9, next page). value chain are said to exceed that of other members.) Regulators will play a defining role, The prism helps utilities assess their unique without question. capabilities, such as “ability to deliver,” which is the ability to deliver extended value chain • How does the ecosystem create standards and benefits. It also ranks external extended value policies (with support of regulators) that enable chain members in categories such as “partici- its members to operate without conflicts? pate, guide and mentor” in relation to utilities’ • How can utilities ensure these efforts result in capabilities. This framework serves as a value to stakeholders? guideline for defining the in-house capabilities to be built, areas for collaboration and capabili- • How can utilities develop strong internal capa- ties that are core to the utility’s business and bilities, while leveraging the key capabilities of extended value chain members to maximize should stay in-house. value to stakeholders? • Implementation: This stage is based on the amount of “autonomy” a utility wants to build We have developed an extended value chain into the ecosystem. Accordingly, there are framework that distills ecosystem development three approaches that can be followed. into a three-stage activity, comprising discovery, formulation and implementation phases. cognizant 20-20 insights 7
  • 8. Extended Value Chain Prism Model St ra te Ecosystem Member Involvement gi c In te Mentor nt Ecosystem Hierarchy Guide Participant n* ples Low & EV ortatio xam e* as e rag ent ed nsp Sto Tra eliver s rgy *Pre Ext Ene SM* to D Str end &D lity Low ate gic ed V EM ted ribu n* Abi Imp alue Dist eratio h ncie s Op ort Cha Gen * Hi g pet e era an ech tion ce t in Ele an T eC om s o me Cle Bus nts Cor ine ss Hig Technology Services h Thought Solution Figure 9 Approach 1: Here, a utility creates an open anyone with an idea can be a part of the playground for collaboration and innovation ecosystem, comply with the legal and commercial among technology, solution and service providers framework, partner with the ecosystem members by extending access to its data within a legal and and build an industry-leading solution. mutually acceptable commercial framework (see Figure 10). The most important aspect of this There are several positive upsides to such an ecosystem is controlled and restricted access ecosystem: to data and the safeguarding of the utility’s • It offers high incentives for stakeholders, privacy concerns and business interests. There utilities and customers. are regulatory challenges and privacy concerns regarding access to customer consumption data.5 • The utility maintains control over and governs the ecosystem. It is important to build “openness” into the • Potential exists for large-scale innovation. ecosystem that fosters innovation. This means • The utility remains on the front end. Approach 1: Open Innovation Customer External Stakeholders Utility Customer Interaction Channels Alternate Internet/Paging Network/RF Energy Sources Access to infrastructure EVs & Transportation Smart Makes Utility Utility Consumption data Infrastructure Makes available Meter solutions In-Home available Grid data Display data and Generation data services Thermostat Fuel Storage Load Legal Framework Control Modules Commercial Framework Energy Management Utility Interaction Channels Figure 10 cognizant 20-20 insights 8
  • 9. Approach 2: Consortium Method Customer External Stakeholders Utility Customer Interaction Channels Internet/Paging Alternate Network/RF Energy Sources Solution 1 Solution 2 EVs & Solution 3 Solution 4 Transportation Smart Utility Utility Infrastructure Utility or a utilities Makes Meter Makes services partner In-Home available available collaborates to develop Display guidance best-of-breed solutions expertise Thermostat and services. Load Fuel Storage Control Legal Framework Modules Commercial Framework Energy Management Utility Interaction Channels Figure 11 Innovations likely to emerge from this ecosystem approach followed by many industries for risk include: mitigation when pursuing unchartered waters. • A charging station service provider can design The salient features of this ecosystem include: locations, rates, etc., based on load, grid topography, etc. • Limited to no data access. • Customers can receive consumption alerts • Utility involvement and investments; the and notifications from a third-party (within the responsibility for formulating problem defined customer interaction framework). statements rests with the utility. • Customers can receive tailor-made solutions • Fewer opportunities for innovation and and services for functions such as energy incentives for participants. efficiency, load control. • Similarities with existing one-to-one utility • Common interface and standards can be relationships/partnerships except that this developed for interactions between EVs, model offers a common commercial and legal appliances and the utility. framework, expanding the opportunity for partners to co-innovate and collaborate for • Innovations can be developed, such as appliances mutual benefit. that can communicate with the utility and the customer to determine the optimal timing for Innovations likely to come out of this ecosystem usage (such as a dryer, pool heater, etc.). include: • For functions such as energy management, • Utilities can certify and recommend a certain customers can choose from multiple vendors brand/type of LED lights, solar panels, charging (ie, Google or Cisco), while utilities can use the stations, etc. tools they need to collect and manage data from the smart grid (à la iTunes). • Utilities can leverage a proprietary algorithm of an energy efficiency solution provider to Approach 2: This method is similar to Approach 1 deliver their DSM programs. but with a lot less openness (see Figure 11). In fact, Approach 2 is recommended when security and • Utilities can collaborate to develop and co-brand charging stations, battery switch privacy issues are insurmountable. This approach stations, etc. allows for point-to-point interactions between the utility and ecosystem members. The additional • Utilities can collaborate with distributed layer of controls and governance constrains generation infrastructure providers and co-innovation and supports fewer ecosystem integrate their grid and back-end systems. members. This may resemble the consortium cognizant 20-20 insights 9
  • 10. Approach 3: Point-to-Point Collaboration Customer External Stakeholders Utility Customer Interaction Channels Alternate Internet/Paging Network/RF Energy Sources Legal Framework EVs & Solution 1 Smart Transportation Utility Utility Solution 2 Infrastructure Meter Makes Makes In-Home available Solution 3 available Display guidance expertise Solution 4 Load Thermostat Fuel Storage Control Modules Commercial Framework Energy Management Utility Interaction Channels Figure 12 Approach 3: In this approach, the utility attempts • Typically, the utility builds on its strengths and to enhance and fine-tune its strategic procure- capabilities core to the business and collabo- ment process to fit the extended value chain (see rates with external stakeholders for the rest. Figure 12). This approach is recommended when there are legal and/or commercial challenges to • Utilities may compete with external stakehold- ers for specific functions. building a multi-party ecosystem. Here, a utility builds a narrow consortium of (typically indus- • Opportunities for innovation and incentives try-leading) technology, solution and service exist for fewer participants. providers. It collaborates individually, with or without other partners being involved. This sig- Looking Ahead nificantly reduces innovation and solely relies on The extended value chain concept needs to be individual collaboration to boost the ecosystem. woven into a utility’s strategy. To reach unprec- edented vistas of operational innovation, utilities Salient features of this ecosystem include: must find the right level of partner collaboration with stakeholders whose interests and capabili- • Access to data and utility problem statements ties are properly aligned. This wave of innovation may not be available to ecosystem members. stands to deliver on all macro-economic expecta- • Involvement and investments from the utility tions and, most importantly, generate superior are significantly higher. value to customers and investors. Footnotes 1 “The Power to Reduce CO2 Emissions,” Electric Power Research Institute, 2009. 2 “Energy Information Administration, Annual Energy Review and Energy Outlook,” U.S. Department of Energy, 2010. 3 Sandia National Laboratories, http://www.sandia.gov/ess/project_map/index.html. 4 Research from Cleantech Group. 5 Sherry Lichtenberg, Ph.D., “Smart Grid Data: Must There Be Conflict Between Energy Management and Consumer Privacy?” National Regulatory Research Institute, 2010, http://www.nrri.org/pubs/telecommu- nications/NRRI_smart_grid_privacy_dec10-17.pdf. cognizant 20-20 insights 10
  • 11. About the Author Sanju Nair is a Manager of Consulting, focusing on the power utilities sector within Cognizant Business Consulting. He specializes in customer service, asset management and smart grid. Sanju has over 10 years of industry experience, including operation and maintenance of captive facilities and working with various global leaders. His consulting experience includes designing multiple asset management solutions for network and T&D assets, designing a strategic roadmap for smart grid integration and revamping customer service processes. He can be reached at Sanju.nair2@cognizant.com. About Cognizant Cognizant (NASDAQ: CTSH) is a leading provider of information technology, consulting, and business process out- sourcing services, dedicated to helping the world’s leading companies build stronger businesses. Headquartered in Teaneck, New Jersey (U.S.), Cognizant combines a passion for client satisfaction, technology innovation, deep industry and business process expertise, and a global, collaborative workforce that embodies the future of work. With over 50 delivery centers worldwide and approximately 156,700 employees as of December 31, 2012, Cognizant is a member of the NASDAQ-100, the S&P 500, the Forbes Global 2000, and the Fortune 500 and is ranked among the top performing and fastest growing companies in the world. Visit us online at www.cognizant.com or follow us on Twitter: Cognizant. World Headquarters European Headquarters India Operations Headquarters 500 Frank W. Burr Blvd. 1 Kingdom Street #5/535, Old Mahabalipuram Road Teaneck, NJ 07666 USA Paddington Central Okkiyam Pettai, Thoraipakkam Phone: +1 201 801 0233 London W2 6BD Chennai, 600 096 India Fax: +1 201 801 0243 Phone: +44 (0) 20 7297 7600 Phone: +91 (0) 44 4209 6000 Toll Free: +1 888 937 3277 Fax: +44 (0) 20 7121 0102 Fax: +91 (0) 44 4209 6060 Email: inquiry@cognizant.com Email: infouk@cognizant.com Email: inquiryindia@cognizant.com © ­­ Copyright 2013, Cognizant. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the express written permission from Cognizant. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. All other trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.