Utility Week

2. WHO: GOOGLE What's the deal: If you haven't heard of Google, the rock you've been living under must be very heavy, and there must be no wi-fi signal there. The brainchild of Sergey Brin and Larry Page in 1998, more than 70 per cent of worldwide online search requests are now handled by Google. Originally a web-based search engine, today it offers more than 50 internet services and products, from email and online document creation to software for mobile phones and tablets. Its 2012 acquisition of Motorola Mobility means it now also sells hardware in the form of mobile phones. Google's broad product portfolio and size make it one of the top four influential companies in the high-tech marketplace, alongside Apple, IBM, and Microsoft. Why it matters: The internet giant's ability to glean and monetise data insight was noted as key, as well as its work with AI, and its potential to become an energy platform in its own right – and as a result, the capacity it has to offer innovative new products. w w w . u t i l i t y w e e k l i v e . c o . u k 3. WHO: AMAZON What's the deal: Amazon is best known for being an electronic commerce and cloud computing company. Founded in 1994, in the US, the amazon. com website started as an online bookstore and later branched out into videos, MP3s, audiobooks, software, video games, and just about everything else. Amazon is the world's largest provider of cloud infrastructure services, and the fourth most valuable public company in the world. Why it matters: The company's potential entry into energy retail and service provision is making big waves. In 2015 the company launched a trial home services unit in the US and experts believe an international expansion may be on the cards in the next couple of years, challenging existing energy retailers that are trying to find a new lease of life in the same market – for instance British Gas and its Local Heroes platform. Amazon is also the point of origin for Amazon Echo – or Alexa, as the smart homes device has become known. In the short time since its UK launch last year, Amazon Echo has come to dominate the market for smart home tech. And it has already collected energy-related "skills" that help customers choose better tariffs, monitor their energy use and manage costs. Say what? "Quite simply, they already have the ability to manage and analyse real- me big data." "They could allow consumer goods retailers to enter into the energy market." "They are constantly researching and launching technology to control the home, so an energy proposi on is surely on the cards." "I can see them developing a more compe ve, customer friendly, service orientated mul -u lity service." "They have dras cally changed customer expecta ons elsewhere with things like their two-hour delivery. If they did something like that to energy they'd be laughing." – Survey respondents P R E S E N T S 12 | 26TH JANUARY - 1ST FEBRUARY 2018 | UTILITY WEEK P R E S E N T S

• Cover