Utility Week

16 | 8TH - 14TH JUNE 2018 | UTILITY WEEK Operations & Assets Analysis D ata was the word on everyone's lips, at the Keynote Theatre and Customer Solutions Theatre at Utility Week Live in Birmingham last month. What was less expected was the many ways companies plan to address the opportunities and challenges that data will inevitably present to the industry in the near future. Topics under discussion ranged from arti- ficial intelligence (AI) to blockchain, with every imaginable chatbot and storage solu- tion in between, but wider adoption of any or all of these was acknowledged to be "a learning process" by some, and "a market- ing challenge" by others. What was unani- mously agreed, though, is that in this unique moment of opportunity provided by continu- ously rapid technological change, the indus- try must keep step or be le behind Disruptive change has become the new normal In the second part of our Utility Week Live coverage, we take a closer look at the Keynote Theatre and the Customer Solutions Theatre. "The pace of inno- vation is nothing short of astound- ing, but we mustn't stifle this by not having a market framework in place to allow new developments to operate and flourish – 30 per cent of the chal- lenge is tech, but 70 per cent is mar- ket structure." JoJo Hubbard, co-founder and chief operating officer, Electron Customer Solutions Theatre The argument for decentralisation L ocal authorities have the power to act as positive disruptors and have a key role to play in the energy transition, which some may find surprising." That was the message Matthew Rhodes, chairman of Energy Capital, had for the Customer Solutions Theatre, hosted in association with WNS. Say what… regional answers," he added. "Local power gives greater scope for customer engagement, as you can better create tailored, bespoke solutions." In being more locally- focused, he argued, decentral- ised energy has greater capacity because "being local makes it so much more possible to build regionally-focussed markets, as opposed to relying on finite one- size-fits-all government grants". Different technologies work better in different places too, he added, not simply in terms of geography (for example, in the cases of solar and wind), but also dependant on the people, their history and culture. He said national solutions are "too slow, too far removed and less effective as they have to take a broader stance". "Local government is best- placed to lead, as they quite literally have to live with the consequences of their actions and decisions – the argument for decentralisation has never been stronger," he said. By way of explanation, he cited the more focussed nature of local economics, sensitive to culture, geography and community, and added the ability of local energy solutions to integrate with transport, construction, digital and health structures "far outstrips that of national government". "Regional questions need " Brought to you in association with

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