Download or read book Challenges and Opportunities Facing Public Utilities written by and published by International Labour Organization. This book was released on 2003 with total page 90 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Public Utilities written by David E. McNabb and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2005-01-01 with total page 374 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Professor McNabb has produced an excellent overview of the management challenges facing public utilities in the 21st century. His description of the evolution, changes, and challenges of different types of utilities is insightful. What makes this book uniquely valuable is his addressing the variety of utility management responsibilities including human resources, information services, and strategic planning in a single volume. I recommend it highly. Jeffrey Showman, Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission, US An introduction to the current issues and challenges facing managers and administrators in the investor and publicly owned utility industry, this engaging volume addresses management concerns in three sectors of the utility industry: electric power, natural gas, and water and wastewater systems. Beginning with a brief overview of the historical development of the industry, the author looks at policy issues and discusses management ethics. He then examines a number of the major challenges in these organizational functions: management and leadership, planning, marketing, accounting and finance, information technology, governance, and human resources. In the final section of the volume he looks at issues specific to each of the three industry sectors. Accessible and comprehensive, this thoughtful exploration of the various issues facing managers in public utilities in the new century will prove a useful overview for students of business and economics, utility staff, and directors of local utility governing boards.
Download or read book Public Utilities Second Edition written by David E. McNabb and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2016-10-28 with total page 513 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A thoroughly updated introduction to the current issues and challenges facing managers and administrators in the investor and publicly owned utility industry, this engaging volume addresses management concerns in five sectors of the utility industry: electric power, natural gas, water, wastewater systems and public transit.
Download or read book The Power of Change written by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2016-09-30 with total page 341 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Electricity, supplied reliably and affordably, is foundational to the U.S. economy and is utterly indispensable to modern society. However, emissions resulting from many forms of electricity generation create environmental risks that could have significant negative economic, security, and human health consequences. Large-scale installation of cleaner power generation has been generally hampered because greener technologies are more expensive than the technologies that currently produce most of our power. Rather than trade affordability and reliability for low emissions, is there a way to balance all three? The Power of Change: Innovation for Development and Deployment of Increasingly Clean Energy Technologies considers how to speed up innovations that would dramatically improve the performance and lower the cost of currently available technologies while also developing new advanced cleaner energy technologies. According to this report, there is an opportunity for the United States to continue to lead in the pursuit of increasingly clean, more efficient electricity through innovation in advanced technologies. The Power of Change: Innovation for Development and Deployment of Increasingly Clean Energy Technologies makes the case that America's advantagesâ€"world-class universities and national laboratories, a vibrant private sector, and innovative states, cities, and regions that are free to experiment with a variety of public policy approachesâ€"position the United States to create and lead a new clean energy revolution. This study focuses on five paths to accelerate the market adoption of increasing clean energy and efficiency technologies: (1) expanding the portfolio of cleaner energy technology options; (2) leveraging the advantages of energy efficiency; (3) facilitating the development of increasing clean technologies, including renewables, nuclear, and cleaner fossil; (4) improving the existing technologies, systems, and infrastructure; and (5) leveling the playing field for cleaner energy technologies. The Power of Change: Innovation for Development and Deployment of Increasingly Clean Energy Technologies is a call for leadership to transform the United States energy sector in order to both mitigate the risks of greenhouse gas and other pollutants and to spur future economic growth. This study's focus on science, technology, and economic policy makes it a valuable resource to guide support that produces innovation to meet energy challenges now and for the future.
Download or read book Future of Utilities Utilities of the Future written by Fereidoon Sioshansi and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2016-03-15 with total page 494 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Future of Utilities - Utilities of the Future: How technological innovations in distributed generation will reshape the electric power sector relates the latest information on the electric power sector its rapid transformation, particularly on the distribution network and customer side. Trends like the rapid rise of self-generation and distributed generation, microgrids, demand response, the dissemination of electric vehicles and zero-net energy buildings that promise to turn many consumers into prosumers are discussed. The book brings together authors from industry and academic backgrounds to present their original, cutting-edge and thought-provoking ideas on the challenges currently faced by electric utilities around the globe, the opportunities they present, and what the future might hold for both traditional players and new entrants to the sector. The book's first part lays out the present scenario, with concepts such as an integrated grid, microgrids, self-generation, customer-centric service, and pricing, while the second part focuses on how innovation, policy, regulation, and pricing models may come together to form a new electrical sector, exploring the reconfiguring of the current institutions, new rates design in light of changes to retail electricity markets and energy efficiency, and the cost and benefits of integration of distributed or intermittent generation, including coupling local renewable energy generation with electric vehicle fleets. The final section projects the future function and role of existing electrical utilities and newcomers to this sector, looking at new pathways for business and pricing models, consumer relations, technology, and innovation. - Contains discussions that help readers understand the underlying causes and drivers of change in the electrical sector, and what these changes mean in financial, operational, and regulatory terms - Provides thought-provoking ideas on the challenges currently faced by electric utilities around the globe, the opportunities they present, and what the future might hold for both traditional players and new entrants to the sector - Helps readers anticipate what developments are likely to define the function and role of the utility of the future
Download or read book Fundamentals of Public Utilities Management written by Frank R. Spellman and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2020-09-21 with total page 279 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Fundamentals of Public Utilities Management provides practical information for constructing a roadmap for successful compliance with new and ever-changing regulatory frameworks, upgrading and maintenance, and general management of utilities operations. It describes current challenges faced by utility managers and offers best practices. In an effort to maximize the usefulness of the material for a broad audience, the text is written in a straightforward, user-friendly, conversational style for students and practicing professionals alike. Features: Presents numerous illustrative examples and case studies throughout Examines environmental compliance and how to best work with continually changing regulations Frames the discussions in a context of energy conservation and ongoing sustainability efforts Fundamentals of Public Utilities Management is designed to provide insight and valuable information to public utility sector managers and prospective managers in water operations (drinking water, wastewater, storm water), and to serve the needs of students, teachers, consulting engineers, and technical personnel in city, state, and federal public sectors.
Download or read book The California Electricity Crisis written by Christopher Weare and published by Public Policy Instit. of CA. This book was released on 2003 with total page 140 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Privatization of Water Services in the United States written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2002-09-20 with total page 159 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the quest to reduce costs and improve the efficiency of water and wastewater services, many communities in the United States are exploring the potential advantages of privatization of those services. Unlike other utility services, local governments have generally assumed responsibility for providing water services. Privatization of such services can include the outright sale of system assets, or various forms of public-private partnershipsâ€"from the simple provision of supplies and services, to private design construction and operation of treatment plants and distribution systems. Many factors are contributing to the growing interest in the privatization of water services. Higher operating costs, more stringent federal water quality and waste effluent standards, greater customer demands for quality and reliability, and an aging water delivery and wastewater collection and treatment infrastructure are all challenging municipalities that may be short of funds or technical capabilities. For municipalities with limited capacities to meet these challenges, privatization can be a viable alternative. Privatization of Water Services evaluates the fiscal and policy implications of privatization, scenarios in which privatization works best, and the efficiencies that may be gained by contracting with private water utilities.
Download or read book Energy in Africa written by Manfred Hafner and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-08-06 with total page 125 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This open access book presents a picture of the current energy challenges on the African continent (and the Sub-Saharan region in particular) and proposes pathways to an accelerated energy transition. Starting with an analysis of the status quo and the outlook for Africa’s energy demand and energy access, it provides an account of the available resources, including hydrocarbons and renewable energy resources, which are playing an increasingly crucial role. It then moves on to analyze the level of investment required to scale-up Africa’s energy systems, shedding light on the key barriers and elaborating on potential solutions. It also provides a suggestion for improving the effectiveness of EU–Africa cooperation. While mainly intended for policymakers and academics, this book also speaks to a broader audience interested in gaining an overview of the challenges and opportunities of the African energy sector today and in the future.
Download or read book Enhancing the Resilience of the Nation s Electricity System written by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2017-10-25 with total page 171 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Americans' safety, productivity, comfort, and convenience depend on the reliable supply of electric power. The electric power system is a complex "cyber-physical" system composed of a network of millions of components spread out across the continent. These components are owned, operated, and regulated by thousands of different entities. Power system operators work hard to assure safe and reliable service, but large outages occasionally happen. Given the nature of the system, there is simply no way that outages can be completely avoided, no matter how much time and money is devoted to such an effort. The system's reliability and resilience can be improved but never made perfect. Thus, system owners, operators, and regulators must prioritize their investments based on potential benefits. Enhancing the Resilience of the Nation's Electricity System focuses on identifying, developing, and implementing strategies to increase the power system's resilience in the face of events that can cause large-area, long-duration outages: blackouts that extend over multiple service areas and last several days or longer. Resilience is not just about lessening the likelihood that these outages will occur. It is also about limiting the scope and impact of outages when they do occur, restoring power rapidly afterwards, and learning from these experiences to better deal with events in the future.
Download or read book The Critical Few written by Jon R. Katzenbach and published by Berrett-Koehler Publishers. This book was released on 2019-01-16 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In a global survey by the Katzenbach Center, 80 percent of respondents believed that their organization must evolve to succeed. But a full quarter of them reported that a change effort at their organization had resulted in no visible results. Why? The fate of any change effort depends on whether and how leaders engage their culture: the self-sustaining patterns of behaving, feeling, thinking, and believing that determine how things are done in an organization. Culture is implicit rather than explicit, emotional rather than rational--that's what makes it so hard to work with, but that's also what makes it so powerful. For the first time, this book lays out the Katzenbach Center's proven methodology for identifying your culture's four most critical elements: traits, characteristics that are at the heart of people's emotional connection to what they do; keystone behaviors, actions that would lead your company to succeed if they were replicated at a greater scale; authentic informal leaders, people who have a high degree of "emotional intuition" or social connectedness; and metrics, integrated, thoughtful measures to track progress, encourage the self-reinforcing cycle of lasting change and link to business performance. By leveraging these critical few elements, you can tap into a source of catalytic change within your organization. People will make an emotional, not just a rational, commitment to new initiatives. You will elicit enthusiasm and creativity and build the kind of powerful company that people recognize for its innate value and effectiveness.
Download or read book The Issues and Challenges of Reducing Non Revenue Water written by Rudolf Frauendorfer and published by Asian Development Bank. This book was released on 2010-12-01 with total page 108 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Improving the efficiency of water utilities and reducing water losses are becoming top priorities in Asia, with its often-limited water resources and rapidly increasing urban population. This publication provides an up-to-date introduction to the subject matter, highlights the complexity of managing non-revenue water (NRW), offers guidance on NRW assessment, and recommends appropriate performance indicators. It is, to a large extent, based on the work of the Water Loss Specialist Group of the International Water Association in the last decade, and is amply complemented by the authors' practical experiences in Asia and in other countries around the world.
Download or read book Labour and the Environment written by United Nations Environment Programme and published by UNEP/Earthprint. This book was released on 2007 with total page 154 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This publication presents examples of the application of technical expertise, of workplace participation, and of tools that promote workers' health and safety to problems that extend beyond the workplace into areas such as environmental protection, public health and the accountability of employers. It focuses on crucial issues ranging from climate change and energy, chemicals management, and corporate social responsibility and accountability to future involvement of workers and trade unions with the environment and with efforts to move towards sustainability. Publishing Agency: United Nations Environment Programme.
Download or read book The New World of Utilities written by Vincent Petit and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-09-29 with total page 211 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: After decades of stability, power systems are currently undergoing a rapid transition - demand patterns are evolving, while supply sources are shifting to renewable energies at an accelerated pace. This book, written by an experienced energy professional, combines the various aspects of supply and demand developments to offer a unified perspective. It highlights the key changes that the world of electric utilities and power systems will face in the coming decade, as well as the major challenges that will emerge as a result. Supplemented by a wealth of global and local data, the book describes the major patterns that affect both supply and demand, and provides a quantified analysis of their impacts on power system grids and markets. Lastly, it explores the new technologies that can enable the success of these transformations.
Download or read book Lessons in Business Model Transformation written by John Manshreck and published by . This book was released on 2021-10-25 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Following a historic look at the dominant business models of the utilities industry, we look at the factors impacting the industry today, "the three D's: decentralization, decarbonization and digitization". Decentralization describes what is happening, decarbonization describes why, and digitization helps explain how. To this, we add a fourth D: financial decline. After considering the impact of these factors, we look to the future. The book examines business model transformation through the study of an industry at the center of today's efforts to combat climate change: electrical utilities. When change comes to be the dominant business model of a mature industry, the pattern of change often occurs in recognizable ways. Often, radical change will occur in one element of an industry's business model, forcing a period of disruption, followed by innovation in other aspects of the business model as it adjusts to the new competitive environment. Following a historic look at the dominant utility business models and how we got to where we are, we look at how technology and climate change are impacting the industry today and "the three D's: decentralization, decarbonization and digitization". Although clichéd, the term is a useful framework to describe the big drivers of change moving through the industry. Decentralization describes what is happening, decarbonization describes why, and digitization helps explain how. To this, we add a fourth phenomenon striking at the financial stability of many utilities: financial decline. After considering the impact of these factors, we look to the future. Part 1 introduces the concept of business model transformation in mature firms. Part 2 describes the history of utility business model transformation from the 1880's. Part 3 illustrates stresses of decarbonization and technology on today's utility model. Part 4 describes the roadblocks to change encountered by mature firms, and strategies to bypass them. The basis of this book is research completed for a Doctoral dissertation completed and defended in 2019.
Download or read book Financing Clean Energy Access in Sub Saharan Africa written by Bruno Michoud and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2021-07-15 with total page 197 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This open access book analyses barriers and challenges associated with the financing of clean energy access in sub-Saharan Africa. By considering various economic, financial, political, environmental and social factors, it explores the consequences of energy poverty across the region and maps the real and perceived investment risks for potential capital providers, both domestic and international. Furthermore, it analyses risk mitigation strategies and innovative financing structures available to the public and private sectors, which are aimed at leveraging capital in the clean energy sector at scale and fostering the creation of an enabling business and investment environment. More specifically, the present book analyses how to (i) enhance capital allocation in projects and organisations that foster clean energy access in the region, (ii) mobilize private capital at scale and (iii) decrease the cost of financing through risk mitigation strategies. Going beyond traditional approaches, the book also considers socioeconomic and cultural aspects associated with investment barriers across the subcontinent. Moreover, it urges the public and private spheres to become more actively involved in tackling this pressing development issue, and provides policy recommendations for the public sector, including proposals for business model evolution at multilateral agencies and development institutions. It will appeal to a wide readership of both academics and professionals working in the energy industry, the financial sector and the political sphere, as well as to general readers interested in the ongoing debate about energy, sustainable development and finance.
Download or read book International Public Goods and Transfer of Technology Under a Globalized Intellectual Property Regime written by Keith E. Maskus and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2005-06-08 with total page 952 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Distinguished economists, political scientists, and legal experts discuss the implications of the increasingly globalized protection of intellectual property rights for the ability of countries to provide their citizens with such important public goods as basic research, education, public health, and environmental protection. Such items increasingly depend on the exercise of private rights over technical inputs and information goods, which could usher in a brave new world of accelerating technological innovation. However, higher and more harmonized levels of international intellectual property rights could also throw up high roadblocks in the path of follow-on innovation, competition and the attainment of social objectives. It is at best unclear who represents the public interest in negotiating forums dominated by powerful knowledge cartels. This is the first book to assess the public processes and inputs that an emerging transnational system of innovation will need to promote technical progress, economic growth and welfare for all participants.
