The world is rapidly changing for electric cooperative and public power utilities. In addition to maintaining an aging infrastructure, these utilities are confronted with changing economic parameters, population shifts, an increasingly volatile climate and severe weather, including hurricanes, wildfires, high winds and flooding.
Despite these challenges, utilities are expected to evolve into “sustainable” organizations capable of delivering reliable and affordable power while being adaptive and supportive of disruptive technologies that can compromise the integrity of the electric grid or impact revenue profiles due to reduced consumption at smarter homes. Fundamentally, our society expects utilities to be “resilient” and serve as the backbone for their communities.
These challenges also impact the vitality, culture, and values of the local communities served by electric co-op, PUD and municipal utilities, so it is more important than ever for these utilities to be empowered to improve the safety, prosperity, and autonomy of the communities they serve.
This mandate is difficult given the operational risks, resource constraints and limited budgets of smaller utilities. While electric co-op, PUD and municipal utilities understand the importance of embracing digital transformation, decision-makers must find a balance between addressing immediate, near-term needs while planning for future innovation.
According to a recent McKinsey study, the biggest barriers to digital transformation are not technological … they are culture, process, and talent. For these smaller utilities to be successful in digitally transforming the electric grid, it is essential to identify partners who are aligned in their focus and have a comprehensive understanding of the challenges which are unique to the electric co-op, PUD and municipal utility market segment.
Selecting the right vendor can be confusing as the AMI market is overshadowed by global smart grid and AMI companies that are dedicated to investor-owned utilities (“IOUs”) with millions of meters deployed in mega-city and major metropolitan areas. Smaller utilities that adopt solutions from these larger AMI vendors are at risk of losing their voice in influencing the direction and design of the solutions they rely upon. This risk can materialize into electric co-op, PUD and municipal utilities losing control over their own energy autonomy.
But there is a better alternative.
Electric co-op, PUD and municipal utilities deserve purpose-built solutions specifically designed to meet their unique challenges. Some of the most successful and progressive of those utilities are laying the foundation for future innovation now, even as they tackle their biggest near-term needs. These utilities are asking themselves, what if our new technology platforms were built with us in mind and with our direct input, as an alternative to one-size-fits-all products designed for a massive, densely populated metropolis? What would that do for our employees, our operations, our financial outlook, and our community?
These are the questions that are reshaping the landscape for small utilities and their communities, and the foundation of Tantalus Systems.
For over 30 years, Tantalus has developed and delivered smart grid and AMI solutions tailored for electric co-op, PUD and municipal utilities by leveraging cutting-edge technology to provide flexibility and expandability for the future while simultaneously extending the useful life and maximizing the value of existing infrastructure.
What is truly unique in a crowded and competitive smart grid and AMI industry is that 100% of Tantalus’ AMI solutions are deployed at electric co-op and public power utilities. The voices of electric co-op, PUD and municipal utilities not only matter within the Tantalus community of users; they are the only voices influencing the decisions, priorities and technology roadmap at Tantalus. This focus on smaller utilities enables our team to resolve immediate needs and fulfil near-term operational and financial requirements, while also building toward a long-term vision of a sustainable future and a resilient community.
A recent global study featured in Harvard Business Review validated that purpose is the key to long-term success and profit. Tantalus’ purpose is simple: Deliver solutions which are co-created and purpose-built to meet the specific requirements of electric co-op and public power utilities. Our unwavering commitment to this vital market segment is the foundation of our company’s longevity and continued success. Today, Tantalus supports more than 170 municipal, PUD and electric co-op utilities across the United States, Canada and the Caribbean Basin and has added 20 new utilities to our engaged user community every year for the past five years.
We are proud to be backed by a stable group of shareholders who believe as firmly in our purpose as we do … and we are just getting started.
So, we invite you to ask yourself, how important is it for your voice to be heard? What would it mean to you, your utility, your customers/members and your team to be able to shape your own future? What could you accomplish with purpose-built smart grid and AMI solutions designed for utilities just like yours?
We invite you to explore these questions, and more … with Tantalus.
