three
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Smart Grid’s Biggest Challenge: Customer Communications

March 15, 2010 by Gregg

For implementation of a smarter electrical grid to be successful, four critical areas must be addressed, and, according to at least one major U.S. utility, the biggest challenge will involve communications (in the non-technical sense of the word).

The four areas are: updating and enhancing the transportation and distribution infrastructure, installing intelligent sensors for automation, implementing communications systems so data can be transferred and interpreted, and educating and communicating with customers.

Of the four areas listed above, all significant, long-term challenges in their own right, customer communications to secure customer approval, support and participation will be the most significant hurdle, says Dana Parshall, director of advanced grid and meter technology for Akron, Ohio-based FirstEnergy Service Company. Parshall was one of the speakers at an Advanced Energy Speaker Series presentation sponsored by NorTech Energy Enterprise on March 10. The presentations are available online.

Noting that the grid is “already pretty smart,” Parshall said real-time, two-way communication among the supply, transmission, substation, distribution and customer assets is the ultimate goal. This will require advanced grid functionality and customer empowerment. Customer usage information will help improve operational efficiencies, enable demand management and support energy conservation by customers.

While today’s customer interaction with an electric utility may be limited to the monthly bill, customers of the future may have daily, even hourly exchanges of information, electronically, Parshall noted. Instead of thousands of devices, millions and millions of sensors and other electronics will be deployed – all gathering data that must be stored, monitored and controlled. A high degree of cybersecurity will be critical for ensuring the integrity of the data and gaining customer acceptance.

FirstEnergy believes a national consumer education program may be needed to drive smart grid acceptance – similar to “buckle up” seatbelt campaigns.

For demonstration and pilot project purposes, FirstEnergy has been awarded federal Smart Grid Investment Grants to deploy 18 million smart meters across its infrastructure and approximately 1.2 million in-home displays.

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Make Way for ‘Greenbashing’ – and Fight It

March 09, 2010 by Gregg

I am pleased to report that introduction of the term greenblushing continues to generate national and international attention.

That tells me it’s a significant challenge and deserves mention in the same breath as greenwashing. Neither is sustainable.

It has also sparked a broader discussion about other kinds of challenges companies face when attempting to communicate about sustainability. For example, one blog reader, Chris Farage, VP of Communications & External Affairs for Parker Hannifin Corporation, a multinational manufacturer of motion and control technologies and systems, offers this term: “greenbashing.”

I like his definition: “the motivation of some activists in the green movement to attack companies for their environmental performance,” even if they are making progress and being transparent in their communication. These naysayers are the people who look at the Three Ps, and place the “P” for Planet ahead of the other two. In fact, some of them don’t even acknowledge the other two.

Chris is right on and rightly concerned about greenwashing, greenblushing and greenbashing. Here again, none of them are sustainable – and deserve to be called out, addressed and prevented, don’t you agree?

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Walking – and Talking – Sustainability

March 03, 2010 by Gregg

In my new Emerging Trends article about sustainability communications, I make the case that “well-run organizations should be able to walk and talk – and clear hurdles – at the same time.”

Do you agree that you can walk the walk and talk the talk of sustainability at the same time, and that they can feed off of each other successfully?

Or is greenblushing – which I define as walking the walk but being too unsure and shy to talk the talk – too much to overcome? Are fears about greenwashing getting in the way of good communications and audience engagement?

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