Technology & Innovation

Power from big data

May 29, 2013

Global

May 29, 2013

Global
Denis McCauley

Consultant

Denis McCauley contributes to EIU research published on a bespoke basis in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

He works closely with the research directors and editors in each of these regions to improve the insightfulness, relevance and timeliness of their analysis.

Mr McCauley previously directed the company's global technology practice, with responsibility for managing research projects dealing with the impact of information and communications technology (ICT) on businesses and societies.

He is often interviewed by the media, including the BBC, CNBC and Financial Times, for his views on technology industry developments.

Power from big data is a T-Systems report, written by the Economist Intelligence Unit

Power from big data is a T-Systems report, written by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). It investigates utilities’ readiness to manage big data and the implications of this across their organisations.

Europe’s power utilities have traditionally focussed on collecting consumption data to bill customers, providing financial and performance data for regulators, and using data to help make decisions to invest in power generation and network assets. Increasingly, however, the dynamics of the power sector are shifting towards an approach characterised by growing volumes of data—including real-time, spatial, and unstructured data—that are enabled by the rollout of intelligent networks, smart grids and smart meters, as well the increasing use of social media, mobility and new customer-service channels.

This is throwing up opportunities as well as challenges for utilities, which may not have the adequate resources to compete in this brave new world of “big data”. Managing the technology deployments effectively is surely important for incumbent operators and new market entrants alike, but how they leverage the power of the data that the technologies generate is arguably mission-critical if they wish to remain competitive. Business leaders must overcome obstacles, which include a lack of standards governing data ownership, quality, structure and privacy, as well as thorny internal obstacles, such as organisational silos and talent and skills gaps.

This paper, based on a survey of over 250 senior executives in the utilities sector across Western Europe, assesses European utilities’ readiness to manage expanding data flows, now and in the years ahead. The research examines why big data is moving up the agenda, how utilities plan to reap its benefits, and how they are tackling obstacles to becoming more data and customer-centric.

The key findings of this research include the following:

European utilities expect to struggle with growing volumes of data. Three out of every four respondents in the Economist Intelligence Unit survey expect the volume of data their company processes to increase by at least 25% over the next three years. One out of four expects the volume to increase by 50% or more over the same period. Yet utilities may be overestimating their ability to deal with the disruption brought about by big data. Although 77% of firms say that they are good at collecting new types of data, they fall short in converting that data into business intelligence: nearly one-half (47%) say that they do not maximise the value of the data they collect.

Strategies for unlocking the power of big data are at an early stage of development. Just 16% of survey respondents say that their data strategy in relation to smart meters is advanced. It is a similar story with their data strategy for social media. In the case of both smart meters and social media, a significant proportion of the sample (over 40%) are either in the early stages or have yet to begin drafting strategies. This is partly because the sector’s focus is on regulatory issues and on supply, say interviewees.

To keep ahead European utilities will require a change of mindset. Industry experts interviewed for the study agree that utilities are not turning big data into a competitive advantage to drive the business—offering nimbler rivals opportunities to take market share. Unencumbered by heavy capital expenditure requirements, these smaller operators are seizing the chance to improve processes and customer experience.

Many utility executives are worried that talent shortages and organisational silos will hamper their exploitation of big data… Utilities are concerned with their ability to find the data specialists that they will need in future, with 48% saying that they will need to undertake additional efforts to locate or develop such talent; in response, many are training staff in-house. Another 64% say that their company is creating silos of data rather than ensuring its more consistent availability across the organisation. Other obstacles include a lack of industry standards and norms around data, as well as security and privacy concerns

....but they are starting to reap the benefits of growing data flows. Utility executives report reaping numerous benefits from the increased collection and analysis of data in the past three years. Top of the list comes better coordination of activities across organisational units, followed closely by better prediction of maintenance requirements and better forecasting of energy demand from end-customers. Utilities are also using big data to communicate with customers in a more personalised way, thus increasing customer satisfaction. Enabling customers to manage energy costs and better data protection are cited as the main benefits that the increased use of data has delivered for customers.

Data analysis tools, social media and mobile technologies are rising up the agenda. In thinking about investment priorities in data management over the next three years, data analytics tools are the top priority for survey respondents, followed closely by ensuring data accuracy and reliability, and building staff data management skills. Mobile devices and applications, social media and web data are the most frequently cited technologies among many to be deployed in pursuit of data collection objectives over the next three years.

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