Big Data Analytics Strategies for the Smart Grid

By implementing a comprehensive data analytics program, utility companies can meet the continually evolving challenges of modern grids that are operationally efficient, while reconciling the demands of greenhouse gas legislation and establishing a meaningful return on investment from smart grid deployments.

Readable and accessible, Big Data Analytics Strategies for the Smart Grid addresses the needs of applying big data technologies and approaches, including Big Data cybersecurity, to the critical infrastructure that makes up the electrical utility grid. It supplies industry stakeholders with an in-depth understanding of the engineering, business, and customer domains within the power delivery market.

The book explores the unique needs of electrical utility grids, including operational technology, IT, storage, processing, and how to transform grid assets for the benefit of both the utility business and energy consumers. It not only provides specific examples that illustrate how analytics work and how they are best applied, but also describes how to avoid potential problems and pitfalls.

Discussing security and data privacy, it explores the role of the utility in protecting their customers’ right to privacy while still engaging in forward-looking business practices. The book includes discussions of:

• SAS for asset management tools
• The AutoGrid approach to commercial analytics
• Space-Time Insight’s work at the California ISO (CAISO)

This book is an ideal resource for mid- to upper-level utility executives who need to understand the business value of smart grid data analytics. It explains critical concepts in a manner that will better position executives to make the right decisions about building their analytics programs.

At the same time, the book provides sufficient technical depth that it is useful for data analytics professionals who need to better understand the nuances of the engineering and business challenges unique to the utilities industry.

Table of Contents

Section I: The Transformative Power of Data Analytics
Chapter 1 Putting the Smarts in the Smart Grid
Chapter 2 Building the Foundation for Data Analytics
Chapter 3 Transforming Big Data for High-Value Action

Section II: The Benefits of Smart Grid Data Analytics
Chapter 4 Applying Analytical Models in the Utility
Chapter 5 Enterprise Analytics
Chapter 6 Operational Analytics
Chapter 7 Customer Operations and Engagement Analytics
Chapter 8 Analytics for Cybersecurity

Section III: Implementing Data Analytics Programs for Sustained Change
Chapter 9 Sourcing Data
Chapter 10 Big Data Integration, Frameworks, and Databases
Chapter 11 Extracting Value
Chapter 12 Envisioning the Utility
Chapter 13 A Partnership for Change