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Atlanta, GA, Oct. 19, 2007 -- Electric utilities continue to rely on proven technologies in their efforts to maintain and improve distribution reliability to meet growing expectations from consumers and regulators, new Chartwell research shows.
About three in four utilities responding to a recent Chartwell survey, titled "Distribution Automation and Field Services: The Chartwell 2007 Report," are installing, upgrading or using their geographic information systems (GIS), outage management systems (OMS) and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems in 2007 to meet their reliability targets.
One in five utilities is considering or planning to use distribution automation as a way to boost reliability, according to the survey of North American utilities.
At the other end of the scale, proponents of mobile workforce management systems appear to have a tougher sell. Thirty-seven percent of utilities are not considering such a system this year, while only 11% are considering or planning for one.
However, each of these trends will be influenced by new product rollouts, vendor mergers and other developments highlighted in Chartwell's.
"What's interesting is how dynamic the playing field remains for utilities seeking to boost their reliability and customer satisfaction, as well as for systems and technology vendors," says Scott Johnson, Chartwell senior research analyst and author of the report.
The report features research based on survey interviews with engineers, supervisors, managers, directors and other executives at 102 North American utilities.
Topics covered in the report include:
* distribution automation;
* geographic information systems
* mobile workforce management systems;
* outage management systems;
* supervisory control and data acquisition systems (SCADA); and
* substation automation.
For more news and exclusive features from Utility Automation & Engineering T&D and Electric Light & Power online, please click here.
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