Advisory Services - IDC Energy Insights Portfolio

Asia/Pacific Utility IT Strategies

The Asia/Pacific Utility IT Strategies research advisory service provides analysis of IT spending on hardware, software and services, by country, in the Asia/Pacific utility sector; key market trends and challenges facing the utility business; IT budgets in the utility sector based on industry trends and benchmarks; and case studies and best practices in the utility sector on the use of emerging IT technologies.

Central and Eastern European Utility IT Strategies

The Central and Eastern European Utility IT Strategies research advisory service provides an in-depth look into and fact-based analysis of the utility sector across key markets in the Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) region to help maximize the business value of IT investments. It examines the business and regulatory environment of the utility sector in Central and Eastern Europe, combining it with a comprehensive insight into the IT spending preferences and plans of utility providers, helping to understand the drivers and IT investment priorities within the sector. This service also delivers insights about IT suppliers to utilities and analyst perspectives on topical issues ranging from smart metering and intelligent grid to renewable energy and security of supply — and what this implies to suppliers to utilities across Central and Eastern Europe.

Distributed Energy Strategies

IDC Energy Insights’ Distributed Energy Strategies service provides exclusive market analysis and direct access to experts — helping subscribers better understand trends and developments related to distributed generation and energy storage. Through an integrated set of deliverables, subscribers receive the latest intelligence on the evolving distributed energy marketplace, enabling them to make better-informed business decisions and develop cost-effective strategies and tactics.

Europe, Middle East and Africa Clean Energy Strategies

The Europe, Middle East, and Africa Clean Energy Strategies service provides exclusive market analysis and direct access to industry-specific experts — helping subscribers better understand trends and developments related to green power marketing, regulatory requirements, and emerging technologies. Through an integrated set of deliverables, subscribers receive the latest intelligence on the evolving renewable energy marketplace, enabling them to make better-informed business decisions and develop cost-effective strategies and tactics.

Europe, Middle East and Africa Utility IT Strategies

Information technology is playing an increasingly important role in allowing organizations to address these challenges. The Europe, Middle East and Africa Utility IT Strategies research advisory service assesses the impact of technology investments on business performance through an integrated set of deliverables. IDC Energy Insights' independent, forward-looking research, combined with fact-based analysis and best-practice case studies, provides advice on maximizing the business value of technology investments.

Smart Grid Strategies

IDC Energy Insights' Smart Grid Strategies opens a world of insight into the pertinent topics that matter most to utility strategists and business decision makers responsible for smart grid programs, services, and products. This service delivers high-impact analysis by the same analysts that work directly with you on your specific research needs. With a keen focus on distribution operations and end-user technologies, IDC Energy Insights' Smart Grid Strategies translates the market drivers, regulatory decisions, and technology developments into actionable recommendations on information and communication technology selection and development.

Solar Energy Strategies

The Solar Energy Strategies service provides exclusive market analysis and direct access to experts — helping subscribers better understand trends and developments related to solar energy technologies, environmental regulations, government incentives for green energy, and renewable energy certificate (REC) markets. Through an integrated set of deliverables, subscribers receive the latest intelligence on the evolving renewable energy marketplace, enabling them to make better-informed business decisions and develop cost-effective strategies and tactics.

Utility IT Strategies

The Utility IT Strategies service covers traditional IT infrastructure of utility companies, particularly as it applies to meeting the needs of the generation, transmission and distribution, and retail businesses at the utility, merchant generation companies and retail energy providers. The service focuses on business performance, business-related IT strategy, IT budget, and best practices in achieving efficiency. In addition, it covers serving customers and managing assets, carbon and the workforce.

Worldwide Quarterly Photovoltaic Module Tracker

Photovoltaic (PV) technology has come a long way since its initial rollout in the mid-20th century, and it has, particularly over the past decade, generated a healthy market. But the resource–enabled by regulatory and incentive-driven demand, increased polysilicon supply, and falling price points within the next two to four years–now stands on the precipice of truly explosive growth. Even amid the current slowdown in the global capital markets, future PV price reductions coupled with rising retail electricity prices and stringent environmental compliance requirements point to a new era of solar power. This tracker provides total market size and vendor share for the following technology areas and segmentations. Measurement for this tracker is in unit shipments, unit installations, MW capacity, and value.

Worldwide Quarterly Smart Meter Tracker

Due in large part to stimulus funding, the past year has seen an uptick in U.S. utilities' smart meter deployments. In fact, about half of the states currently have utilities with some smart metering pilots or installations. By the end of 2010, we expect to see over 20 million smart meters deployed in the United States, which is a 15% market penetration. By 2015, we expect deployments to reach 100 million meters or 65% market penetration. IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Smart Meter Tracker provides clients with the detailed information necessary for navigating this evolving landscape by providing reliable, accurate, and independent market data that serves as a foundation for creating quantitative market analyses and studying historical trends. This tracker provides total market size and vendor share for the following technology areas and segmentations. Measurement for this tracker is in unit shipments, unit installations, and value.

Worldwide Quarterly Solar Inverter Tracker

As the photovoltaic market grows, so does the solar inverter market, averaging 30-40% annual growth globally over the past five years. That growth is seen across all sectors of the solar industry, but a particular surge in growth, as much as 60% annually, is expected in the coming years in the utility-scale photovoltaic market. Among the drivers pushing the market for solar power are rate-payer pressure to increase access to renewable sources of energy, regulatory and policy requirements, government incentives, and declining PV module costs. This tracker provides total market size and vendor share for the following technology areas and segmentations. Measurement for this tracker is in unit shipments, unit installations, MW capacity, and value.

Worldwide Utility Industry IT Spending Guide

The Worldwide Utility Industry IT Spending Guide is a semiannual analysis of the current status and projected growth of information technology spending in the utility sector (electricity, natural gas, and water). This global five-year outlook on spending by utility companies provides IT vendors with key information needed to develop effective market strategies. This service combines IDC's extensive technology forecasts with deep industry knowledge provided by IDC Energy Insights analysts and ongoing primary research in the utilities industry.

Middle East and Africa Oil and Gas IT Strategies

Middle East and Africa Oil and Gas IT Strategies examines the business environment of the utilities sector in MEA and combines this with comprehensive insight into the IT spending behavior and plans of utility providers, helping to understand the drivers and IT investment priorities within the sector. Intended for IT vendors, non-IT vendors, investors, and government organizations, the service delivers thought leadership, timely market sizing, and guidance for grasping current and emerging opportunities.

Worldwide Oil and Gas Industry IT Spending Guide

The Worldwide Oil and Gas Industry IT Spending Guide is a semiannual analysis of the current status and projected growth of information technology spending in the oil and gas sector. This global five-year outlook on spending by oil and gas companies provides IT vendors with key information needed to develop effective market strategies. This service combines IDC's extensive technology forecasts with deep industry knowledge provided by IDC Energy Insights analysts and ongoing primary research in the oil and gas industry.

Worldwide Oil and Gas IT Strategies

The Worldwide Oil and Gas IT Strategies research advisory service provides insights into and analysis of the impact of information technology investments and business process initiatives on business performance in the upstream and trading sectors of the oil and gas industry. Studies will include business strategy, best practices, technology selection, and vendor assessment.