Navigant Research

Recent natural disasters, such as the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan and Superstorm Sandy in the United States, have highlighted the importance of resilience – the ability of critical infrastructure systems and services to keep running, or to recover quickly, when there is a sudden shock to the system – from natural disaster, extreme weather, terrorism, or other causes.  Power grid operators, end-use customers, and government officials are increasingly tasked with ensuring that the power stays on, that clean water is available, that mobile phone service continues, and that other critical infrastructure can function – no matter what. Featuring…

Many water systems face significant challenges in the treatment and delivery of water.  Aging pipes that leak, rising demand for water, and outdated monitoring systems all contribute to the struggles utility managers face – particularly in times of drought.  In the United States alone, it is estimated that 7 billion gallons of clean drinking water are lost each day due to infrastructure leaks. New technologies, including smart meters and advanced communications networks, enable water utilities to overcome some of these challenges, helping to create a smarter water grid.  The new equipment generates valuable data that leads to improved efficiencies and…

During the 2008-2010 recession, vehicle miles traveled in the United States fell for the first time in 3 decades.  At the same time, the number of vehicles on the roads appeared to plateau.  This raised the real possibility that car sales have peaked, and that the total number of privately owned vehicles will flatten and start to gradually decline.  Some countries in Western Europe are even more likely to… Listen To Replay

Ancillary services are the auxiliary services required to balance the grid in order to reliably maintain the electricity grid. Such applications include frequency regulation, voltage support, spinning reserve, electric supply reserve capacity, and load following.  Over the next 10 years the market for ancillary services, and the energy storage systems that enable them, will be driven by deregulation of electricity markets in high economic growth markets, such as Asia Pacific, and… Listen To Replay