Oracle?s ?Smart Grid Challenges & Choices? Report: Utilities Executives Most Concern

Oracle Press Release
Oracle’s “Smart Grid Challenges & Choices” Report: Utilities Executives Most Concerned with Potential Consumer Rate Increases

Sharing Best Practices, Putting IT Architecture in Place, and Engaging Consumers Will be Critical to Success

DISTRIBUTECH, Tampa, Fla. – March 23, 2010
News Facts

Today Oracle announced the results of the “Smart Grid Challenges & Choices: Utility Executives’ Vision for the New Decade” research report, which surveyed 150 North American C-level utility executives to understand their vision for the next 10 years, how the smart grid will evolve in our communities and homes, and what challenges and opportunities lie ahead.
Key Findings

When asked to select their top two smart grid priorities over the next 10 years, utilities executives put improving service reliability (45 percent) and implementing smart metering (41 percent) at the top of the list.
However, only one in five respondents noted they are moving forward with system-wide smart grid deployment. Forty-nine percent of large utilities (with more than 100,000 customers) and 18 percent of small- to mid-sized utilities (with fewer than 100,000 customers) are taking steps forward with trial programs.
Nearly all respondents noted that consumers will benefit from smart grid. Eighty-six percent of large utilities and 82 percent of small- to mid-sized utilities said that smart grid will provide consumers with energy usage information that will enable smarter choices.
However, when asked to note the most troublesome issues that keep them up at night, executives identified consumer reactions to rate increases (43 percent) as their top worry.
Utility executives recommended “sharing best practices with peers” and “developing an information architecture strategy” as the top drivers for smart grid success.
Supporting Quote

“Utilities recognize that smart grid will transform every aspect of their business – from infrastructure management to service delivery to outage restoration to customer care. Oracle’s ‘Smart Grid Challenges & Choices’ report indicates that though utilities executives believe that smart grid will bring great benefits to consumers, they are concerned about consumer reactions to rate increases. Tearing down organizational silos, leveraging standards-based technology, and actively engaging consumers in the process will be key to success,” said Stephan Scholl, senior vice president and general manager, Oracle Utilities.


Supporting Resources

“Smart Grid Challenges & Choices” Full Report
Oracle Utilities Blog
Oracle Utilities on Facebook
Oracle Utilities on LinkedIn
Oracle Utilities on Twitter
Oracle Utilities YouTube Channel
About Oracle Utilities

Oracle Utilities delivers proven software applications that help utilities of all types and sizes achieve competitive advantage, business performance excellence and a lower total cost of technology ownership. Oracle Utilities integrates industry-specific customer care and billing, network management, work and asset management, mobile workforce management and meter data management applications with the capabilities of Oracle’s industry-leading enterprise applications, business intelligence tools, middleware and database technologies. The software enables customers to adapt more nimbly to market deregulation, meet ever-evolving customer demands and deliver on environmental conservation commitments. Additionally, Oracle Utilities helps utilities prepare for smart metering and smart grid initiatives that enhance efficiency and provide critical intelligence metrics that can help drive more-informed energy and water usage decisions for consumers and businesses. For more information, visit www.oracle.com/goto/utilities.

About Oracle

Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL) provides the most complete, open, and integrated business software and hardware systems in the world. For more information about Oracle, visit oracle.com

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Contact Info


Caroline Yu Vespi
Oracle
+1.650.506.8920
caroline.yu@oracle.com

Janice Hazen
O'Keeffe and Company
+1.770.938.4753
jhazen@okco.com












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