PNNL

Abstract

Big Data is changing how we understand and analyze the world. Smart appliances, electronic sensors, and advanced communication make it possible to gather data in ways never before imagined. At the same time, cyber-security, privacy and compliance issues, and the sheer volume of data need to be properly addressed to effectively utilize Big Data. Many companies are looking at new tools, techniques, and ways of doing business as the Big Data revolution occurs. However, not every company or industry is equally equipped to adapt to the changes in data acquisition, management, and utilization. Technology and business momentum can hinder innovation. This paper looks at the case of the electric utility industry to see whether and how utilities are adapting in an era of Big Data. We discuss the key uses of data for electric utilities and how “Big Data” – the volume, velocity, and variety of data – is changing the use and applications of data. Text-based analytical techniques are then used on a corpus of the U.S. Congress from 1981 through 2012 to investigate how data is used and discussed in the context of electric utilities. Policy discussions are particularly important for heavily regulated industries. The results show that while conversations about data in the overall corpus are plentiful, conversations about data in the context of electric utilities are relatively rare. The results also show that the quantity of data discussions for electric utilities have remained fairly consistent over the past thirty years, despite the rise of Big Data.