Several policies promote the adoption of renewable electricity among incumbent utilities. Yet, scale consumer appears limited by accessibility. The underlying factors inhibiting accessibility are exacerbated with low- and middle-income (LMI) consumers who not only have substantial income disparities but also make up a significant proportion utility's customer base. While prior research demonstr...

The availability of web-based technology provides the public with convenient and alternate forms of obtaining information and communicating with essential service providers (such as electric utilities). No previous studies on web site accessibility have focused specifically on web site access to consumer utilities information resources. This study investigated the web site accessibility of eigh...

The structure of Japan's electricity sector, as modified by legislation in 1995 and 1999, will be reviewed in 2003. At that time, it is likely that further decisions will be made regarding the restructuring of Japan's electricity sector. The objectives of this study are to provide insight into the alternative ways that the sector might be restructured and the experience of other countries that ...

We propose a framework of 14 IT governance practices tailored for the electric utilities sector. They were selected and ranked as “essential”, “important”, or “good” by top executives and IT staff from two multi-billion dollar companies – one in Brazil and another in Europe – from a generic set of 83 collected in the literature and in the field. Our framework addresses a need of electric utilit...

During the past decade, the United States electric utility industry has migrated from a regulated to a deregulated business environment. As a result, utilities in the electric power sector face a much more urgent imperative to emphasize cost efficiencies as compared to the days of regulation. One major opportunity for cost savings is through reductions in spare parts inventory. Most utilities a...

In the smart grid, the power usage of households are recorded and analyzed in (near) real time by utility companies. The usage data enables a utility to manage its electric power supply to neighborhoods more efficiently and effectively. For instance, to prevent a power outage during a peak demand period, the utility can determine the power supply threshold for a neighborhood. When the total pow...

Although general literature and several frameworks suggest practices for IT Governance, there is still no consensus about which should be considered “best” or “essential”. It seems reasonable to assume that recommendations of specific practices depend on factors such as the target industry, company profile, culture, and IT organization preferences. The literature on the subject for the electric...