Smart Grid Blog

Big Data & Big Choices: An Energy Marketer's Dream

paige@themcdonnellgroup.com (Don McDonnell) — Wed, 15 May 2013 17:09:00 +0000

As a marketer I look for the themes in everything. And right now, everywhere I turn, the "tsunami" of data that is going to crash over us looms large. Right behind it sits the prospect of big-data driven machines connected to the "internet of things" (IOT).

Your Energy Marketing Tour Begins Here: Newness Awaits

paige@themcdonnellgroup.com (Shari Blalock) — Tue, 07 May 2013 00:09:09 +0000

Each year, McDonnell Group (MG) conducts an internal customer survey in order to evaluate and discern industry trends and their correlations with our customers' needs. After assessing last year's survey results, McDonnell Group embarked on a new branding adventure. Last month, McDonnell Group unveiled a refreshed rebrand and expansion of service offerings to create increased value for customers. We invite you to take a virtual tour and familiarize yourself with the vibrant and contemporary website that mirrors the new McDonnell Group brand.

Changes: Five Tips to Combat Founderitis

paige@themcdonnellgroup.com (Don McDonnell) — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 19:47:22 +0000

David Bowie sums it up in his smash hit Changes: "Just gonna have to be a different man." In her last blog, Paige very gently referenced a general resistance we founders have to change. I believe our many conversations have gone something along these lines:

Just for the record, I have only a minor case of founderitis (denial). Uncontrollable laughter.
Hey, why are we changing again (anger)!? Eyes rolling.
Can we at least keep our old cards and use them with people fond of the old Cezanne script (bargaining)? Pretty sure that's just you.
When will the cobbler's kids get soles on his shoes? (depression). A deep, exasperated sigh.
Ok, I've had dozens of positive emails from customers (acceptance). A smile and a knowing nod.

The Path to Awesome

paige@themcdonnellgroup.com (Paige Besson) — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 20:28:45 +0000

Yesterday, in an extremely lively brainstorming session here in the office, some co-workers introduced me to Robbie Novak. Apparently I live under a rock, because even though I have heard of Geico, I had never heard of the Kid President. After they recovered from the shock of this revelation, and after they felt I was sufficiently shamed enough to stop hurling wicked insults, they sat me down for The Pep Talk.

Now, as far as pep talks go, this one was a pretty darn good one. And while there are so many good sound bites in here, the one that still makes me laugh out loud is, "not cool Robert Frost". In fact, I think I may make a poster out of that and hang it in my office. Because isn't it true? The road less traveled hurts. There are obstacles, and challenges, and you don't have anyone to look to to see how to traverse it. You are on your own. The fact is, walking that road takes courage.

At DistribuTECH 2013, Signs that Utilities are Connecting to Smart Grid Customers “For Real”

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 20:31:04 +0000

by Peter Manos
Principal Strategy Consultant

In a conference as big as DistribuTECH, it would be naïve to expect everyone to have the same experience, yet the common thread of utilities improving customers’ quality of life was woven through the fabric of the event.

I was there presenting research and representing clients for McDonnell Group. We had 20 clients exhibiting or presenting as well, and while they represented a wide range of software and hardware solutions, all of them are focused on innovations that enable utilities to optimally provide their customers reliable, economical electric service.

Designing for Success

Sat, 26 Jan 2013 04:02:54 +0000

Bottom-line Improvements Based on Model-Driven Visualization and Design Tools

Peter Manos
Principal Strategy Consultant – McDonnell Group

What do you think will help improve the bottom-line performance of a typical utility more—software standardization or business process standardization?

For many utility executives this is not a “chicken or the egg” question. It’s a hard boiled problem. Why? It’s because decision-makers often have to choose between software centric vs. business process centric options.

And another classic choice may also still present itself, between a one-stop shopping software portfolio (e.g. for O&M work across distribution, transmission and substations, etc.) and different best-of-breed tools tailored for specific areas.

Smart Grid Research Indicates That Utility Perceptions on “Prosumers” Evolved Rapidly 2010-2012

Thu, 13 Sep 2012 10:00:00 +0000

According to Wikipedia, the term “prosumer” was coined in 1980 by the futurist Alvin Toffler. The utility industry has begun using the term as it considers the evolving role of customers who will both consume energy and produce energy (or grid response services) to support system operations. The term is also used to strike a contrast between traditionally passive customers (i.e., ratepayers) and the more active customers involved in and interacting with the products they use.

A Kilowatt is a Kilowatt, but is a Negawatt a Kilowatt? Regardless, MATS rules, accelerating smart meter penetration, PV installation, micro-grid success, new DR rules, and a confluence of other market developments have all helped evolve utility perceptions on the future importance and potential of “prosumers.” Our research shows that this trend has accelerated significantly in the past two years.

In preparing an upcoming conference address I am delivering entitled “Energy Prosumers: Future Implications for Utility Customer Satisfaction & Distribution Operations,” I’ve been studying the sentiments of utility companies who have participated in our proprietary benchmarking research studies over the past 24 months. Most of these studies are never published, with the confidential results reserved for research sponsors and top-line feedback provided to the utility study participants themselves with limited distribution rights. I noticed in four different studies, conducted across a two-year period of time, some changes related to utility perceptions around demand side management (DSM) and distributed energy resources (DER).

Balance of Power

Thu, 23 Aug 2012 20:17:41 +0000

By Eddie Solar

Finishing a summer internship at the McDonnell Group, it’s now time for me to head back to school. I’ve been fortunate to gain valuable exposure to the everyday activities of a strategic marketing firm and to have learned a great deal about smart grid. Before leaving, I’ve decided to take a crack at posting my first blog.

In the months prior to arriving at McDonnell Group, I was fortunate to pursue international studies in China this past term and got to see one of the country’s many enigmas first-hand. Having prepared myself to experience a dynamic, emerging superpower, a few peculiarities stood out.

The first thing I noticed about Beijing was how long it took to move about the city in a car. I remember vividly an evening out to dinner with my host family that ended at seven p.m. The traffic was so thick that we did not get back home until ten o’clock and I still needed to study. This family is part of China’s upper-middle class and they were able to afford two cars, as did most of their friends. They loved their cars so much that they drove a couple of hours to work each day as opposed to taking a forty-five-minute ride on the subway. My host mother told me it was because she “needed her space” and it made her feel good; like an individual rather than just a number. I found this a bit funny because the huge volume of cars leaves little space on the roads.

Reversing Reverse Impacts (Part II of II)

Tue, 07 Aug 2012 20:07:14 +0000

by Peter Manos
Principal Strategy Consultant

Under-marketing is to blame not only for the broad, general under-appreciation of our industry’s accomplishments, but also for program-specific reverse impacts and for negative views about smart grid initiatives in general.

If you want perspective on the reality of our industry’s level of under-marketing, note that a consumer products company like P&G spent nine percent of its revenue on advertising last year, while the average utility spends less than one tenth of one percent on advertising.

Let’s review key examples of reverse impacts and suggest some best practices tips to address them.